Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson has spoken out about the racial controversy that surfaced after he called White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson “Jackie.” He was fined and suspended for one game following the incident that White Sox manager Tony La Russa deemed “racist.”
Donaldson called Anderson, who is Black, the name in reference to Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947. Donaldson later explained that this was a reference to an inside joke between him and Anderson after the shortstop called himself “today’s Jackie Robinson” in an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2019. However, Anderson said that he previously told Donaldson not to refer to him by that name.
Anderson told reporters postgame he did not appreciate Donaldson’s “disrespectful” comment and claimed he did not say anything to prompt the remark. The White Sox infielder had to be restrained by teammates during a benches-clearing incident after a confrontation with the Yankees third basemen during the May 21 game.
