Players, managers, and a coach received suspensions and fines Monday for their involvement in an on-the-field brawl during a game Saturday between the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Guardians. MLB imposed the stiffest penalties on the principal combatants, Chicago's Tim Anderson and Cleveland's José Ramirez, CBS Sports reports. The 15-minute melee was touched off when Anderson tagged Ramirez as he slid into second base with a double in the sixth inning.
The two had words, per USA Today. "He tagged me really hard, more than needed," Ramirez said later, "and his reaction was like, 'I want to fight.'" Anderson then dropped his glove, as hockey players have been known to do, and took a boxer's stance, per NBC News. The two began swinging at each other, and landed a punch in Anderson's face, knocking him down. The rest of the two teams then poured onto the field and separated Anderson and Ramirez, as players, coaches, and managers tussled. Various ejections from the game followed.
Baseball announced these penalties on Monday:
- Anderson, a six-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
- Ramírez, a three-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
- Emmanuel Clase, Guardians closer, a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
- Terry Francona, Guardians manager, a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
- Mike Sarbaugh, Guardians third base coach, a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
- Pedro Grifol, White Sox manager, a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.
- Michael Kopech, White Sox pitcher, and Gabriel Arias, Guardians infielder, undisclosed fines.
Chicago won the game, 7-4. The weekend series was the last time the White Sox and Guardians will play each other in the regular season until next year. (More
bench-clearing brawl stories.)
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