Tim Anderson has been one of the biggest disappointments in a horrendous Chicago White Sox season. His inability to hit anything at all reared its head in an unexpected way on Saturday.
Anderson had gotten into a heated argument with Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez after an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth. The umpire quickly got between the players in an attempt to defuse the situation. Then Anderson had the brilliant idea of squaring up like a boxer with Ramirez, a challenge that he was more than up for.
Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson gets put to sleep
To Anderson’s credit, he did throw one good punch at the start. Then there were a couple of wild punches before Ramirez connected with the side of Anderson’s jaw. That was all she wrote for that fight as Anderson was down for the count, unconscious before he hit the infield dirt. Understandably, both players were removed from the game afterward.
The idea that Ramirez would hit anyone at all was laughable. He certainly was not doing anything in the batter’s box, posting a 59 OPS+ heading into Saturday’s game against the Guardians. Maybe he was feeling froggy after getting a double in three plate appearances prior to that altercation. Maybe he felt that connecting with Ramirez would jumpstart his bat and give him a strong finish to the season.
Instead, Anderson gets to join Robin Ventura on an ignoble list of White Sox players that got their asses kicked on the diamond. Ventura, at least, took seven of Nolan Ryan’s uppercuts and was getting out of the headlock before the fight ended. Anderson, meanwhile, likely has an icepack on his jaw and is in concussion protocol.
Tim Anderson finally hit something on Saturday. The Chicago White Sox infielder made hard contact with the dirt after being dropped.
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