Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was suspended six games and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez three for their benches-clearing fight on Saturday.
Major League Baseball also fined both players an undisclosed amount for fighting. The suspensions were to begin with their Monday night games, but both players have appealed, delaying any suspensions.
In all, eight members of the two teams were disciplined. Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, plus both managers — Chicago’s Pedro Grifol and Cleveland’s Terry Francona — were suspended one game and received undisclosed fines.
Sarbaugh will serve his suspension on Tuesday, with the others sidelined on Monday. The Guardians are home against the Toronto Blue Jays. The White Sox will host the New York Yankees.
White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, who was on the mound when the fight broke out, and Guardians outfielder Gabriel Arias both were fined an undisclosed amount.
In the sixth inning of Chicago’s 7-4 victory on Saturday in Cleveland, Ramirez slid head-first into second base and between the legs of Anderson after delivering an RBI double.
Both players exchanged words before punches were thrown, the last of which knocked Anderson on his back.
Ramirez said Anderson had been “disrespectful” to the game, including applying hard tags.
“It’s not from yesterday or from before,” Ramirez said after the game, through an interpreter. “I even had the chance to tell him during the game, ‘Don’t do this stuff. That’s disrespectful. Don’t start tagging people like that.’
“In reality, we’re here trying to find ways to provide for our families. … Then as soon as the play happened, he tagged me again really hard, more than needed, and then he reacted and said, ‘I want to fight.’ And if you want to fight, I have to defend myself.”
–Field Level Media