José Ramírez notched a win against Tim Anderson in one of MLB’s wildest brawls in years, and he reportedly got a win against MLB as well Saturday.
Initially suspended three games for the fight last Saturday that derailed a game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians, Ramírez had his suspension knocked down to two games, according to The Athletic’s Zack Maisel.
Ramírez will serve his suspension Saturday and Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, as he was allowed to play while the appeal was pending.
Anderson was suspended for six games as well, but the outcome of his appeal remains unknown. Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase already served a one-game ban, having chosen not to appeal, while Guardians manager Terry Francona, White Sox manager Pedro Grifol and Guardians third base coach Mike Sarbaugh were unable to appeal their one-game suspensions (coaches can’t appeal MLB suspensions).
That wave of discipline, which also included fines for White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech and Guardians infielder Gabriel Arias, arose from a bizarre sequence of events that began when Ramírez doubled and slid into second base next to Anderson. Ramírez said through an interpreter after the game that he told Anderson earlier in the game that he was tagging players too hard, at which point Anderson apparently took offense and squared up.
Ramírez returned the gesture, then scored a knockout blow that sent Anderson to the ground as he was pulled away by Kopech. The situation only devolved from there, with Anderson talking trash then getting carried off the field by teammate Andrew Vaughn.
The White Sox won the game 7-4, with Anderson declining to speak to the media. His only public statements on the kerfuffle since have been a series of cryptic tweets that included statements such as “y’all got me f***ed up [for real]” and “The Picture Bigger …“
Despite being the one who took the hardest blow in the fight, MLB clearly determined Anderson to be the instigator and hit him with the bigger discipline. Ramírez’s suspension might still be the bigger blow to his team as he’s hitting .282/.357/.487 in another All-Star season, while Anderson is posting the worst numbers of his career at .242/.285/.288.
