Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller were suspended by MLB for their roles in Wednesday's altercation, the league announced on Friday. Anderson's suspension -- which was because of the language Anderson used during the benches-clearing incident and not the bat toss -- is for one game, and Keller, who hit Anderson with a pitch, received a five-game ban. Both players also received undisclosed fines, and their suspensions are subject to appeal.
White Sox manager Rick Renteria received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his aggressive actions during the incident. Renteria will serve his suspension Friday night when the White Sox face the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park -- stream regionally via fuboTV (Try for free).
In Wednesday's game, Anderson hit a 418-foot two-run home run to break a 0-0 tie in the fourth inning off of Keller. Anderson flung his bat -- an excited toss rather than a bat flip -- toward his own dugout before making his way around the bases. In his next at-bat, he was plunked by Keller. Benches cleared, and at the end of the scuffle, both players were ejected along with Renteria and Royals hitting coach Dale Sveum.
Here's the full scuffle, in which you can see Anderson and Royals catcher Martin Maldonado sharing some words, right before the team's benches cleared. It can be assumed that it's here when Anderson voices the language that got him the one-game suspension.
When it appeared like things were finally calming down, Renteria needed to be held back by umpire Joe West while arguing with the Royals coaching staff.
And this is Anderson's post homer celebration that apparently required retaliation from Keller:
The White Sox's tweet echoes the same sentiments we've been hearing from MLB marketing for a while now: let the kids play. Our own Matt Snyder wrote about how it's a shame that the marketing campaign doesn't line up with the culture of some of its players.
Anderson, 25, has been on a tear to start 2019, slashing .422/.439/.656 with four home runs and six stolen bases so far this season. His home run not only brought attention to his overall impressive production, but it also sparked a heated debate across players and fans. As a result, Anderson made his debut in CBS Sports' Dayn Perry's MLB Star Power Index.
The White Sox (7-11) and Royals (7-12) both sit in the bottom half of the American League Central. Kansas City has won its last two games, and continue their four-game series against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Meanwhile, Chicago has lost its last two games and will continue their four-game series against the Tigers at Comerica Park on Friday.
