Yasmani Grandal has the richest contract in White Sox history. If you look at his numbers this season it looks like the White Sox are getting ripped off. Grandal has gotten off to a slow start. Through 35 games he is batting .185 with just two home runs and a .542 OPS. But value comes in many forms and on Saturday afternoon Grandal proved his value as a teammate and a leader.
The White Sox’s old nemesis Josh Donaldson called Tim Anderson “Jackie” multiple times throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest between the Yankees and White Sox.
“He was trying to call me Jackie Robinson, like ‘What’s up Jackie?” Anderson told reporters after the game. “I don’t play like that. I wasn’t really bothering nobody today, but he made the comment and it was disrespectful. I don’t think it was called for. It was unnecessary.”
“It happened in the first the first time he got on-and I spared him that time,” Anderson explained. “Then it happened again, and it was just uncalled for. We don’t need to be playing like that.”
Donaldson did not deny the allegations but played it off as a joke. Whether he was joking or not the White Sox did not find it funny.
While many will point to the fact that Tim Anderson compared himself to Jackie Robinson in 2019, it does not matter. Anderson made it clear he took Donaldson’s words in a derogatory way. That was enough for Grandal.
When Donaldson walked up to the plate for his at-bat in the fifth inning, Grandal confronted him with an earful. He gestured towards Anderson’s position at shortstop multiple times to get his point across
“Believe me, you guys don’t want to hear what I told Donaldson,” Grandal said.
Grandal and Donaldson exchanged words at home plate, benches cleared, TA had to be restrained 😳 pic.twitter.com/3OgsVivV7U
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) May 21, 2022
The benches and bullpens spilled onto the field and the two sides were separated. But a statement had been made.
Grandal’s actions spoke volumes about the type of teammate and person he is. Anderson took notice.
Yasmani Grandal says Josh Donaldson "lives in his own world."
"A comment like that is just unacceptable. It's something that should not be allowed." pic.twitter.com/H12nsqOmaS
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) May 21, 2022
“We’re a family,” Anderson said. “We take care of each other. You know, it’s all love in our locker room. We don’t really deal with crazy things like that, we try to keep it away from our vibes and what we’ve got going on. But they stepped up and had my back, and showed how connected we really are.”
The White Sox bats seemed to respond in the sixth inning as well. AJ Pollock legged out a double. Then Leury Garcia ripped a double to center field to drive Pollock in. Then Josh Harrison drilled a double off the right-field wall to cut the Yankee’s lead to just one.
The White Sox were unable to complete the comeback but it was a positive sign of life for a team that desperately needed a spark. As Frank Thomas put it on the White Sox postgame show last week ” nobody is playing with any heart and soul right now”. The White Sox heart could not be called into question yesterday.
This wouldn’t be the first time a Josh Donaldson incident has gotten Yasmani Grandal fired up. Last season Donaldson accused Lucas Giolito of cheating. In the following game, Grandal hit two home runs and the White Sox routed the Twins 13-3.
After the game, Grandal said “It didn’t go unnoticed. It definitely fires you up.”
Seeing a teammate go sticking up for you in battle is another great way to fire up a squad. Don’t be surprised if you see a similar response this season. At the very least Grandal’s actions will help bring the White Sox clubhouse closer together. That’s the type of veteran leadership, that Rick Hahn was hoping for when he signed Grandal.
