In the sixth inning of Chicago’s 7-4 victory against Cleveland, a bench-clearing brawl broke out between White Sox pitcher Tim Anderson and Guardians shortstop José Ramírez, resulting in six ejections.
A 15-minute confrontation that including three more flare-ups resulted in the ejection of White Sox manager Pedro Grifol, manager Terry Francona, third base instructor Mike Sarbaugh, and Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase.
When Anderson stepped over Ramírez after he slid headfirst into second base after an RBI double, the altercation started. Ramírez sprang up, yelled at Anderson, and pointed his finger in his face, causing them to square off.
After the Chicago shortstop delivered the opening blow, Ramírez struck Anderson with a right hook, saying, “I think he’s been disrespecting the game for a while.” “I told him to cease acting in that way. He said he wanted to fight and that I had to defend myself after giving me a harder tap than was necessary.
It took teammate Andrew Vaughn to literally take Anderson to the clubhouse steps after he stormed out of the bench a few minutes after being thrown. Anderson left the ballpark before the clubhouse was opened to reporters.
Pedro Grifol, manager of the White Sox, said, “I’m going to let MLB figure this out,” in response to a question regarding the altercation. They have a task ahead of them. Thank God, there hasn’t been any update regarding injuries coming from the training room.
After allowing a career-high four home runs in his first outing at Progressive Field, Guardians starter Noah Syndergaard (1–5) was struck out for two runs by Elvis Andrus, and Vaughn, Luis Robert Jr., and Óscar Colás each had a single shot.
“We are here to support and stand by Timmy because we know him,” declared Andrus, who finished with three hits and two stolen bases. “He plays with enthusiasm and gives the ball everything he has. Such things foster unity among teams.
The blue-haired Clase had to be taken back to the bullpen by teammate Josh Naylor, who is on the injured list, as Sarbaugh was fired for making aggressive moves toward the Chicago coaching staff.
After surrendering two runs in 5 1/3 innings, White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech (5-10) ended the game with a no-hitter. After five career starts against Cleveland, he is now 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA.
Potential suspensions for Anderson, Ramírez, and possibly other fighters are in store.
While Chicago is 24 games below.500, the Guardians (54-57) are only 3 1/2 games back of Minnesota in the AL Central division lead.
Kopech declared, “A team that is playing below.500 is not going to bully us.” In divisional baseball, it goes without saying that you have to see each other a lot. The teams have been mouthing off a lot over the past several series.
Amed Rosario was traded to the Dodgers for Syndergaard on July 26. In six innings, Syndergaard allowed five runs, all of which came from home runs. For the Guardians, Will Brennan collected two hits and drove in two runs.
“The umpire told Anderson to stop yelling at (first baseman Gabriel) Arias before everything started,” Francona stated. “Then, everyone’s attention was diverted.”