Tim Anderson, shortstop for the Chicago White Sox, says that Yankee's third baseman Josh Donaldson called him "Jackie" during Saturday's game in the Bronx. White Sox manager Tony La Russa labeled the comment "racist."
Anderson discussed the comments when asked about the cause of a benches-clearing brawl during the game.
“He just made a disrespectful comment. He was trying to call me Jackie Robinson, ‘What’s up Jackie?’” Anderson, who is Black, told reporters after the game. “I don’t play like that. … That happened the first time he got on, and I let it go that time, and it happened again. It’s just uncalled for.”
La Russa simply said that Donaldson, "made a racist comment," and declined to elaborate.
Donaldson confirmed the allegations, but defended himself, claiming the comment to be a joke he's had with Anderson in the past.
“I called him Jackie. He came out with an interview that says he’s the new Jackie Robinson … We’ve actually joked about that,” Donaldson said. “I’ve said it to him in years past, not in any manner [other] than just joking around.”
Anderson had compared his experience in the MLB to that of Jackie Robinson during an interview with Sports Illustrated's Stephanie Apstein back in 2019.
As for how Anderson will handle the next matchup against Donaldson, he said: “I can’t really call it, because I don’t know my energy when I see him, I don’t know his energy. But we’ll see.”
The White Sox will take on the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday at 3:05 PM, ET.
[Via]