José Ramírez was suspended three games and Tim Anderson six.
For their roles in the White Sox and Guardians’ bench-clearing brawl on Saturday, six players and coaches have been suspended.
Only Tim Anderson and José Ramírez were suspended for multiple games. Baseball said on Monday that the outstanding third baseman for the Guardians will serve a three-game suspension, while the shortstop for the White Sox will serve a six-game suspension.
In the sixth inning, Anderson and Ramírez got into a brawl after a tag play at second base. The two athletes faced off and exchanged blows until Ramírez struck Anderson in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. When Anderson rose again and made his way back to the dugout, he was unsteady.
Along with White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, closer Emmanuel Clase, and Guardians manager Terry Francona were all removed at the same time. The final four were suspended for one game. Undisclosed fines were also imposed on White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech and Guardians outfielder Gabriel Arias.
For Sunday’s series finale, Anderson was not in the starting lineup; Grifol stated that the shortstop was “OK” and that it was a scheduled day off. After the game on Saturday, Anderson did not talk with reporters; nevertheless, late on Sunday night, he launched a series of angry tweets.
After the game on Saturday, Ramírez confronted Anderson, telling reporters—through an interpreter—that he had warned Anderson that his excessive player tagging had caused the incident.
“As soon as the play happened, he tapped me again really hard, more than needed,” stated Ramirez. “After that, he reacted by saying, “I want to fight,” and I had to defend myself if he did. I thought I had one down.”
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Guillermo Martinez of the Blue Jays was suspended five games for interacting with the umpire.
Major League Baseball has suspended Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez for five games.
Martinez was suspended “for making contact with umpire Doug Eddings and for his unsportsmanlike conduct during the pregame lineup card exchange prior to his club’s Wednesday’s game against the White Sox in Chicago,” according to a statement released by MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, Michael Hill.
Martinez was also hit with an undisclosed fee by MLB.
Martinez spoke with the umpiring crew while handing the lineup card, which is when the incident happened. He shook hands with all five crew members, but then seemed to speak with Doug Eddings.
Lance Barrett, the first-base umpire, signaled to remove Martinez from the game. Dan Shulman, a SportsNet play-by-play commentator, stated during the show that Martinez often doesn’t hand out the lineup card prior to games.
During the Blue Jays vs. White Sox game on Tuesday, Eddings officiated at home plate. He called balls and strikes horribly during the game; according to the umpire scorecards, he made 29 incorrect calls.
Per Umpire Auditor, the 29 missed calls by Eddings were the most by an umpire in a game this season.
After getting booted from the game, Martinez took a stride toward Eddings and the two appeared to have a heated confrontation for a few moments.
For four seasons, Martinez has served as Toronto’s hitting coach. He began his MLB coaching career with the Blue Jays from 2011 to 2013, when he was the hitting instructor.
Martinez was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 2014 to serve as a hitting instructor for their high-A club in Kane County. He was a member of the Blue Jays for five seasons prior to his comeback.
Starting on Friday, Martinez will be suspended. The 37-year-old can make a comeback at Rogers Centre on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox.
