Tim Anderson (White Sox), whose rough tag led to a massive bench-clearing and a suspension for fisticuffs, has apologized. However, the apology is not without its frustrations with Cleveland.
Anderson threw a punch during an altercation with Jose Ramirez in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 6. A bench-clearing brawl ensued that resulted in six ejections, including both players and the head coach of both teams.
Ramirez was vocal about how Anderson routinely offends opponents with unnecessarily harsh tags. “He has no respect for baseball,” he said. Anderson was suspended for five games for the incident.
On Tuesday, Anderson told reporters, “I let my emotions get the best of me, and it happened. I’m going to keep working on it. I’m going to try to be a better person. I’m going to get better, I’m going to work harder.”
On Aug. 18, he posted an apology on Instagram. In it, he echoed his uncomfortable feelings toward Cleveland.
“I want to apologize to the White Sox organization, our teammates, coaching staff, and fans for being caught up in the events in Cleveland. This has been a disappointing season for me personally and for our team. I will not comment on what the Cleveland players said to me at the time, as it does not excuse my words or actions. I take responsibility for letting my emotions get the best of me,” he wrote.
“The Cleveland players are free to say whatever they want. However, I want to say that no one respects baseball more than I do, and once I have served my suspension, I will finish the season as best I can to help the team.”
Anderson had another explanation for the apology: “I wanted to talk about my faith, and I hope that comes across to the viewers. I wanted to be authentic,” he said.
The White Sox have been labeled a “grain of sand” team following revelations from Yankees trade Keenan Middleton. Middleton claimed that the White Sox had no discipline, allowing rookie relievers to sleep during games and players to skip meetings and workouts. The White Sox organization refuted the allegations head-on. They pointed out that Middleton had been cited for violating the rules.
“I’ve always tried to lead by example, and I didn’t do a good job of that (bench-clearing). But I try to make myself and the people around me better every day. I think the organization knows what kind of person I am and how hard I work.”카지노
Meanwhile, Anderson’s stock rose in 2019 when he led the American League in batting average. He followed that up with four straight years of triple-digit batting average before last year. The franchise star, a first-round pick of the White Sox in the 2013 draft, also represented the United States in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC).