Yankees fans made their feeling toward Tim Anderson known on Sunday night. During all five of his trips to the plate, he was showered with a chorus of boos.
This all stemmed from his spat with Josh Donaldson on Saturday that caused the benches to clear. Donaldson called Anderson “Jackie” on the field multiple times which did not sit well with him or his teammates. Donaldson played it off as a joke. Anderson’s teammates unleashed on Donaldson after the game to the media.
“Usually you have an inside joke with people you get along with people you get along with,” Liam Hendriks said “Not people you get along with, not people who don’t get along with at all. So that statement right there was complete bullshit.”
After all the strong words, both teams decided to let their play do the talking Sunday night. But that didn’t stop Anderson from making sure he got the final word in.
He logged three hits to give him a league-leading 18th multi-hit game of the season. But none of those hits were bigger than his knock in the eighth inning.
The White Sox pushed across two runs in the eight to open the scoring in an intense pitcher’s duel. With two on and two outs, Anderson strolled up to the plate and once again received a rude reception from the Bronx. He fouled off the first slider he saw from Yankees reliever, Miguel Castro. He then took a slider for a ball. After seeing two consecutive sliders he was prepared for the next one he saw. Castro hung a slider over the heart of the plate and Anderson ripped it to right field for a three-run homer. It traveled an estimated 357 feet and stuck a dagger in the Yankees.
As he rounded the bases he silenced the crowd with his pointer finger then did it once again after he crossed home plate for good measure.
Then as he walked toward the dugout he screamed, “everybody tell them to shut the fuck up!” Just so the people in the front row got the message too.
"Everybody tell them to shut the fuck up!"
Tim Anderson hits a three-run home run and has a message for the Yankee Stadium crowd pic.twitter.com/qZ5SNKAoQC
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 23, 2022
It was a huge victory for a White Sox team that was in desperately of some momentum. A doubleheader sweep of the Yankees should do just that. The entire Josh Donaldson incident seemed to light a fire under Tim Anderson, and when Anderson goes the offense tends to follow.
“This guy is– he is as good as anybody playing at that position, and one of the best players in baseball,” Tony La Russa told the media. “So he deserves the recognition, and he deserves the respect. When somebody disrespects him, well, he should get upset. I know I would. Point is, when you talk about how special he is, think about the game he had under the circumstances.”
His two singles and clutch home runs in a hostile environment even left an impression on his teammates.
“People say the good get booed, and I think he’s one of the best. That situation he took full advantage of it,” Andrew Vaughn said of Anderson.
” I think that was one of the cooler things I’ve seen,” Michael Kopech added. “Watching an entire crowd that’s showing low class towards him, calling him Jackie and all that stuff. And then hitting a home run and putting us right back in a good position to win. Got nothing but respect for him.”
Regardless of how people feel about him one thing is for certain. It won’t stop Tim Anderson from playing the game his way.
