New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson were already in contention when the former moved to third base.
On Sunday, the two were involved in another dust-up during the Yankees-White Sox game.
Both players confirmed that Donaldson called Anderson “Jackie”, in reference to a 2019 interview where Anderson referred to himself as the modern Jackie Robinson and said he wanted to change the game like him.
White Sox player and manager Tony La Rusa has accused Donaldson of racism.
Donaldson explained that it was an internal joke between them when he was playing with the Atlanta Braves, but the timing was strange and the White Sox players believed he was bad for Anderson.
Anyway, things heated up for a while on Sunday between the two teams: there was a bench-clearing incident, but no punches were thrown.
There are allegations that the MLB is investigating the incident, and there could be a suspension for Donaldson depending on what they get.
Donaldson and the White Sox do not like each other
It is clear that there is some animosity between Donaldson and the White Sox and vice versa.
Twitter accounts covering the White Sox have also joined the circus.
“Don’t lie though, ball,” White Sox Talk tweeted with figures from Sunday.
They highlight that where Donaldson went for 0-for-4, Anderson went for a 5-for-3 with an original home run and three RBIs.
Don’t lie though pic.twitter.com/jpTgpePbHW
– White Sox Talk (BCNBCSWhiteSox) May 23, 2022
Donaldson has hit very well against Chicago in his career: .282 / .388 / .587 with 22 home runs and a .976 OPS.
However, it is clear that this is an off-field fight.
We’ll see if there are more chapters in this story.