6 suspended over White Sox-Guardians brawl; Tim Anderson gets 6 games, Jose Ramirez gets 3
CHICAGO (CBS/AP) -- Major League Baseball has suspended a total of six players and coaches for their roles in an ugly brawl at Saturday's game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians.
White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson was suspended six games and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez was suspended three games for setting off the fight that led to a nearly 15-minute brawl in Cleveland on Saturday.
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase also got a one-game suspension for his role in the brawl, while White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, Guardians manager Terry Francona, and Guardians third base coach Mike Sarbaugh were each suspended for one game. Anderson, Ramirez, Clase, Grifol, Francona, Sarbaugh, White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, and Guardians outfielder Gabriel Arias also were fined undisclosed amounts.
Anderson and Ramirez both plan to appeal their suspensions, and will be allowed to continue playing pending the outcome of their appeals. Clase did not appeal, and will serve his suspension on Monday against the Blue Jays. Grifol and Francona must serve their suspensions on Monday, and Sarbaugh must serve his suspension on Tuesday.
In the sixth inning on Saturday night, Anderson and Ramirez threw punches at second base, and the Guardians' All-Star third baseman knocked down Anderson with a lucky overhand right to the chin. Anderson was dazed by the blow. Kopech tried to pull Ramirez away from Anderson after the punch.
Anderson and Ramirez were ejected, along with Francona, Sarbaugh, Clase and Grifol.
Anderson didn't play in Sunday's series finale. Before Sunday's game, Grifol said Anderson didn't get hurt in the mele and that his day of rest had been scheduled for the 30-year-old.
"He's OK," Grifol said of Anderson. "He was going to get a day off today. It might not look that way, but it is what it is."
Grifol refused to discuss specifics of the altercations or possible upcoming punishment. He also avoided characterizing Anderson's actions.
"I'm not going to get into that," he said. "I've had my conversations with Tim, but I'm not going to get into anything that happened last night. I'll let MLB take care of all that stuff but I'm not going to talk about the fight."
Anderson has been suspended twice previously.
In 2019, he received a one-game ban for his actions during a bench-clearing incident against Kansas City, which had thrown at Anderson after he flipped his bat following a home run.
Last season, Anderson got a one-game suspension after he flashed the middle finger at a fan in Cleveland.
The Anderson-Ramírez fight began innocently enough.
When Ramírez slid headfirst into second base with an RBI double in the sixth inning, Anderson was straddling over the top of him. Ramírez later said he felt Anderson's tag was too hard and indicated he had been bothered by Chicago's star for "disrespecting" the game.
Anderson dropped his glove and squared off against Ramírez, who swung wildly and connected to drop Anderson to the ground. As both benches and bullpens emptied, Anderson tried in vain to get at Ramírez before being forced into Chicago's dugout.
Anderson reappeared on the field and tried to get at Ramírez before Chicago first baseman Andrew Vaughn wrapped him in a bear hug and physically carried him off the field.
On Friday, Anderson angered the Guardians by pushing Cleveland rookie Brayan Rocchio off the base as he slid into second, leading to a contested call that wound up being overturned by replay. Also, Anderson was warned by an umpire on Saturday for jawing at Guardians rookie Gabriel Arias.