Jose Ramirez was ejected. So was Tim Anderson — and they weren’t alone. The Chicago White Sox played the Guardians on Saturday night, winning 7-4 in Cleveland, but the win itself wasn’t what most people were talking about after the game. Instead, attention focused on the brawl — or possibly brawls — that erupted on the field after Ramirez slid through Anderson’s legs for a double.
The two men exchanged words and squared off in a move that looked more like a hockey fight getting ready to happen than something you’d see happen in baseball. Cue the thrown punches and various teammates trying their best to separate Ramirez and Anderson.
Things escalated from there, with both benches clearing. White Sox Talk’s Twitter account’s comment of “THIS IS MADNESS” accurately summarizes the general mood, which goes far beyond “chaotic.” William Butler Yeats was probably not thinking of this when he wrote, “Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,” and yet it seems pretty fitting for the occasion at hand.
As ESPN reports, both teams’ managers — Terry Francona and Pedro Grifol — also ended up ejected, as did Guardians coach Mike Sarbaugh. Pitcher Emmanuel Clase was also ejected from the game.
After the game, Cleveland manager Francona told members of the press, “It’s not funny, but boys will be boys.”
Grifol took a more contemplative stance. “I’m not going to talk about it. I’m going to let MLB figure this out,” the White Sox manager told reporters. “They’ve got some work to do.”
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From the Lansing Lugnuts to the Lake County CaptainsESPN notes that the cause of the initial confrontation remains a mystery, though Anderson was at the center of an overturned call in the two teams’ previous game, which seems to have ratcheted up tension between the squads. Ramirez is quoted as saying, “He said he wanted to fight and I had to defend myself.”
Mind you, Ramirez is 30 years old and can absolutely walk away from a fight if he wants to. And if Ramirez is suspended for multiple games as a result of his role in the fight, it could prove detrimental to Cleveland’s push for a playoff spot this season.
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