The Associated Press has reported that the Major League Baseball (MLB) would uphold Josh Donaldson’s one-game suspension. The New York Yankees third baseman received the punishment over a racist remark to White Sox star Tim Anderson.
The 2015 American League Championship Series MVP called Anderson “Jackie”, in reference to Jackie Robinson, in the first inning of a game between the Sox and the Yankees. Both Anderson and Robinson are Black men, and Chicago manager Tony La Russa has since criticized the remark, calling it racist.
Donaldson appealed on Thursday last week, and MLB special adviser John McHale decided to uphold the penalty after the hearing, according to an MLB insider.
It was also reported that Donaldson had his fine reduced by McHale to $5,000 from the initial $10,000. Donaldson will miss his team’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night as a result of the penalty.
The original penalty was announced by MLB senior vice president for on-field operations Michael Hill on May 23, two days after the incident. Robinson ended racial segregation in baseball by breaking the color line in 1947. All teams in the major leagues have retired Robinson’s No. 42 in honor of his legacy.
Donaldson defends racist comment
The three-time All-Star Donaldson earlier clarified that the remark was made in reference to a 2019 Sports Illustrated article in which Anderson was quoted as saying, “I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson … because he changed the game, and I feel like I’m getting to a point to where I need to change the game”.
Anderson, however, said he agreed with La Russa, insisting that the comment was rather racist. He said he made the statement because felt lonely playing as a Black man in a white-dominated league.
According to a 2017 report by ESPN, around 60 percent of MLB players were white. Dusty Baker of the Houston Astros and Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers are also currently the only Black managers in the league, with no general manager or franchise owner being Black.
Several Yankees players then came to criticize Donaldson, urging him to apologize to both Anderson and the Robinson family.
“This is just my opinion — (that’s) somewhere he should not be going,” said NY Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do there,” New York star Aaron Judge added.
Donaldson at first implied that he did not think the comment was wrong, saying he had earlier “joked around” with Anderson using the reference. Anderson refuted the claim, insisting that he had requested Donaldson to stop referring to him as “Jackie”. The 2015 AL MVP has since issued a public apology to the Robinsons.
“I think everybody wanted to have a say. But they don’t know my heart,” Donaldson said early this month. “I do feel bad that the Robinson family — I never wanted them to feel their name should ever be regarded in a bad light. That was why I issued the apology.”
The 37-year-old Donaldson has so far batted .235 with five homers and 18 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees.