“Down goes Anderson!”
It’s the 6th inning, and the Guardians are down 5-1 at home against a sorry, no good, very bad White Sox team. The Sox have been ridiculed in recent weeks by every in-house source from the media all the way up to their former and active players.
Yankees’ reliever Keynan Middleton, who played on the Sox, addressed his former team’s failure to establish a sustainable culture and enforce rules on a consistent basis in a recent interview with ESPN. Dodgers’ starting pitcher and former White Sox Lance Lynn publicly concurred with Middleton’s comments.
While Chicago’s general manager Rick Hahn and catcher Yasmani Grandal refuted Middleton’s comments, another story regarding a fist and Tim Anderson’s face just broke. Yasmani Grandal, who has been at the center of everything White Sox related, reportedly slapped Anderson across the face before the All Star break.
While the story has not been verified, reports say that Grandal wanted to leave for the All Star break early after he heard he was not in the starting lineup for the team’s final game. Subsequently, Tim Anderson said, "F**k him. If he doesn't want to be here, I'll pay for his flight."
On Saturday, August 5th, despite a 4-run lead over the Guardians, Anderson initiated a brawl with Cleveland’s All-Star third baseman, Jose Ramirez.
Ramirez scorched a ball down the right field line and rushed into second base for a double as the throw came in simultaneously. Anderson, who caught the incoming throw, stood over Ramirez at second base for what Ramirez felt to be far too long. The Guardian became the aggressor, as Ramirez pointed at Anderson, indicating that he didn’t appreciate the shortstop’s antics.
And then, the fight ensued.
Anderson dropped his glove, and Ramirez his helmet. The two squared up, while the umpire played boxing judge, attempting to separate the two fighters. Luckily, that is for all entertainment purposes, the umpire retreated as if it were an NHL brawl, and the two players went at it.
Anderson took the first swing -- a right hook that Ramirez mitigated with a crouch as he lunged away. However, after another Anderson miss, Ramirez rose and threw a right hook of his own, connecting with Anderson’s face and dropping him to the dirt.
Cleveland Guardians’ renowned color commentator Tom Hamilton had the perfect call:
“Jose and Anderson square off. They’re fighting. They’re swinging. Down goes Anderson! Down goes Anderson!”
After a brief pause in commentary, while the dugouts emptied and the bullpens rushed to the field, Hamilton continued:
“Ramirez went in with a headfirst slide. Jose never gets upset about anything. They came up chewing. Anderson squared off. Jose DECKED him!”
MLB suspended Anderson for six games and Ramirez three for their actions on Saturday night.
Ironically, Anderson took a beating on national television, wobbled off the field with assistance from his teammates, and Ramirez came out on top with a shorter suspension AND a 1st round KO in his first career fight.
The following day, Ramirez mocked Anderson with a pair of boxing gloves in a picture his agent posted to social media.
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