White Sox closer Liam Hendriks was not a fan of Josh Donaldson’s explanation regarding his confrontation with Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson.
The Yankees slugger drew heat Saturday for referring to Anderson, who is Black, as “Jackie” during the teams’s meeting in the Bronx. Donaldson said after the game the reference was an inside joke between he and Anderson, who called himself “today’s Jackie Robinson” in 2019.
Hendriks, Anderson’s teammate since 2021, made his thoughts on Donaldson’s post-game comments abundantly clear prior to Sunday’s meeting.
“Usually, you have inside jokes with people you get along with, not people that don’t get along at all. And, so, that statement right there was complete and utter bulls---,” Hendriks said. “Him trying to whip out that narrative is complete and utter bulls---.”
Anderson told reporters postgame he did not appreciate Donaldson’s “disrespectful” comment, and claimed he did not say anything to prompt the remark. A noticeably upset Anderson had to be restrained by teammates during a confrontation with the Yankees third baseman after both players were involved in a dust-up in the fifth inning of Saturday’s contest.
Donaldson also attempted to clear the air concerning allegations that his comment was intended to be racist.
“I don’t know what’s changed, and I’ve said it to him in year’s past. Not in any manner than just joking around for the fact that he called himself Jackie Robinson,” he said. “It was just off of an interview of what he called himself.”
