The American League Central Division rivals Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Cavaliers engaged in a massive bench-clearing brawl that resulted in six ejections and a 10-minute game delay.메이저사이트
The full story of the bench-clearing incident was revealed after the game. The bad blood between the two teams erupted when Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, who was annoyed by a play by the White Sox’s Tim Anderson, argued over an overly aggressive tag.
On June 6, the White Sox and Cleveland benched each other at Progressive Field. After Ramirez hit an RBI double in the sixth inning with Cleveland trailing 5-0, things suddenly got heated.
A brawl broke out between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. It started with an altercation between Jose Ramirez (left) and Tim Anderson.
Anderson is grabbed and dragged by his teammates.
Bench clearing on the replay screen.
Ramirez hit a chasing double and then slid into second base. After sliding between Anderson’s legs, Ramirez looked up and said something to him. Anderson responded, and an argument ensued.
Neither man seemed to have any intention of resolving the situation verbally. As Ramirez got to his feet and began to return fire, Anderson threw off the glove he was wearing on his left hand and assumed a boxer’s stance as if he were going to punch at any moment. He followed up with a hard right hand. Ramirez tried to counter with a right hook.
No wonder things escalated. Players jumped off the benches of both teams. Anderson, impatient with his teammates’ restraint, continued to yell at Ramirez with excitement. Ramirez was sent off to the applause of the home fans.
If it had ended there, it would have been a normal (?) bench clearing, but not on this day. After Anderson was dragged to the dugout, the second period began. An argument between the managers turned into a real brawl.
As White Sox manager Pedro Griffol and Cleveland manager Terry Francona yelled at each other, other players began to get agitated. Anderson, who was in the dugout, ran back out and was grabbed by his teammates and dragged away. The bench-clearing continued into the third inning when Cleveland third base coach Emmanuel Classe and third base coach Mike Sabo began shouting at the White Sox.
Ramirez and Anderson were ejected after a fistfight. The managers of both teams, Griffol and Francona, were ejected for reigniting the flames. Coach Sabo and Classe were also sent off.
The brawl spilled over into bench-clearing when Anderson threw down his glove and assumed a boxing stance.
White Sox manager Pedro Griffol (left) and Cleveland third base coach Mike Sabo.
The full story of the bench-clearing in an interview
The game ended in a 7-4 win for the White Sox, but more attention was paid to the story behind the bench clearing than the result. Cleveland starter Noah Syndergaard set the tone for the clubhouse. He came to Cleveland from the Angels at the last trade deadline.
“I could tell the White Sox weren’t getting along, and I didn’t think they were going to get along anytime soon,” Syndergaard said, noting that he didn’t even recognize the names of the Cleveland players at first after the trade.
Francona said Anderson spurred the Cleveland players on. “He was yelling at our first baseman, Gabriel Arias. He said a lot of things he probably shouldn’t have said.”
Ramirez used Anderson’s tag as an excuse to express Cleveland’s anger. He complained that Anderson had tagged him more forcefully than necessary. This is where the fight started. Words quickly turned to fists.
After the game, Ramirez said, “Anderson disrespected baseball. It’s not just yesterday or today. It’s always been like that. I’ve told him before not to do that. I told him not to tag me like that because it’s a disrespectful play.” “Anderson came out looking for a fight, so I should be able to defend myself,” he said.
“Even if I’m not happy with a call, I tend to keep my anger to myself in the dugout. I don’t want to disrespect baseball. I just want to play baseball,” he said, again expressing his displeasure with Anderson’s play.
Anderson, meanwhile, did not meet with the media. Instead, White Sox starter Michael Kopeck was the “backstop.” “We’ve had some brawls the last couple series,” he said, “and we’re not playing our best, but we’re not going to get beat by a team that’s less than a .500 team. Through six games, Cleveland is 54-57 for a .486 winning percentage, while the White Sox are 44-68 for a .393 winning percentage.
