Tim Anderson received a three-game suspension and was slapped with a fine for making contact with an umpire during a benches-clearing scuffle between the White Sox and Tigers on Monday afternoon.
Tim Anderson was still in the lineup for the White Sox on Wednesday. The shortstop is appealing the ban. The move will allow him to finish the regular season, which is good news for the Southsiders. The suspension only applies to the regular season so Anderson will be able to participate in the postseason with no consequences. The earliest he can miss time if the suspension is upheld is Opening Day next year.
The White Sox will need Anderson this October. He has been the spark plug at the top of the order. The team’s offensive production took a significant dip when he was out of the lineup. He was named an American League All-Star for the first time in his career.
Anderson is hitting .300 on the year with 16 home runs, 58 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He was instrumental in the White Sox Division clinching game, Anderson lead off the game with a home run then tacked on another one later in the game for good measure.
The incident in question occurred after Jose Abreu was plunked with a pitch from Tiger relief pitcher Alex Lang. That marked the 21st time Abreu had been hit by a pitch this season so tensions were particularly high. Abreu retaliated by sliding with a hard slid into second base. Tigers infielder Niki Goodrum did not take too kindly to these and exchanged some words with him. Things got heated and the benches cleared.
The usually mild-mannered Abreu admitted that this was his second angriest moment in a White Sox uniform.
“About the slide into second base, I just did what I usually do. I don’t think it was anything wrong,” Abreu told reporters through interpreter Billy Russo. “That’s the way I play, I’ve been playing my whole career. There’s nothing else to say.
“Even when Lange hit me, he didn’t apologize or say anything. And that’s fine, but then I slid into second base and he started chirping. That’s not good, you don’t do that. Why are you doing that? You threw the pitch that you’re supposed to, apologize or do something. You didn’t and then you start talking to me? That’s not the way that we play baseball.”
When the teams met at second base most of the focus was on Garrett Crochet who was causing a commotion in the middle of the mob. The other point of interest was on Gavin Sheets and Eloy Jimenez who was holding back Abreu and escorting him to the dugout.
From the video, you can’t really see what Anderson is doing or where he made contact with the umpire. Anderson was just one of the many teammates who was rushing to Abreu’s defense. Abreu appreciated the gesture.
“At that moment, when I slid into second base and the benches cleared, it was a really nice moment for me to see the support of my teammates, everybody on the field trying to protect me. That meant a lot,” Abreu said. “It wasn’t the best moment or the best action, but that’s something that made me feel good and showed everybody how unified we are.”
