Josh Donaldson will face a single-game suspension from the MLB.Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty
“There is no dispute over what was said on the field. Regardless of Mr. Donaldson’s intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions,” Hill added.
The MLB announced that Donaldson plans to appeal the decision. The MLB will allow him to play for the Yankees until the appeal process has finished,ESPNreported.
The league did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
During the fifth inning of the Yankees' win over the Sox last weekend, both benches were cleared when Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal confronted Donaldson at home plate.
Josh Donaldson gets heated during Yankees game.Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty
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“He made a disrespectful comment,” Anderson told reporters. “I don’t really play like that. I don’t really play at all. I wasn’t really bothering nobody today but he made the comment and it was disrespectful. It was unnecessary. It was just uncalled for.”
Anderson said it occurred on multiple occasions during the game, telling reporters that he “spared him” the first time but got heated with Donaldson when the comment was made again.
Players and officials calm down a mid-game altercation.Sarah Stier/Getty
“I called him Jackie. In 2019, he came out with an interview and said that he’s the new Jackie Robinson … We’ve actually joked about that. I’ve said it to him in years past, not in any manner than just joking around,” Donaldsonsaid. (He was referencing Anderson’s May 2019 interview withSports Illustratedin which he said, “I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson.")
source: people.com
