Tim Anderson Sheds Light On Why Being Called ‘Jackie’ By Josh Donaldson Struck A Cord

It’s safe to say Tim Anderson isn’t going to be making amends with Josh Donaldson any time soon.

Over the past weekend, the Yankees third baseman became the cause of a lot of controversy on social media when the incited a benches-clearing situation with the White Sox for calling Anderson ‘Jackie’, in reference to Jackie Robinson.

Even though Donaldson remained adamant that his comment wasn’t racist, but rather a jab at a 2019 quote from Anderson, the MLB still opted to suspend him for a game.

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Josh Donaldson Handed Down Punishment Over His 'Jackie’ Commenthttps://t.co/whwofAUoTq

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Before the Sox took on the Red Sox on Tuesday, Tim Anderson was once again asked about the “Jackie” comment from Josh Donaldson.

According to the star shortstop, he told Donaldson he had a problem with being called the name back in 2019.

“I told him, we never have to talk again. I won’t speak to you, you won’t speak to me, if that’s how you’re going to refer to me. I knew he knew exactly what he was doing,” he said to reporters.

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Tim Anderson after being called Jackie by Donaldson in 2019: “I told him, we never have to talk again. I won’t speak to you, you won’t speak to me, if that’s how you’re going to refer to me. I knew he knew exactly what he was doing.”

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Tim Anderson would go on to say that he was trying to put the whole situation past him, not worrying about the suspension given by the MLB.

“I can definitely move on but I’m not looking for no friendship or relationship from that behalf,” he continued.

After the game over the weekend, Josh Donaldson claimed the ‘Jackie’ moniker was an ‘inside joke’ of sorts between him and Anderson.

“So, first inning, I called him ‘Jackie.’ Let me give you a little context of that. In 2019, he said in an interview that he’s the new Jackie Robinson of baseball and he’s gonna bring back fun for the game, right? So, in 2019, when I played for Atlanta, we actually joked about that in the game. I don’t know what’s changed, and I’ve said it to him in years past — not in any manner, just joking around with the fact that he called himself Jackie Robinson. So, if something has changed from that … my meaning of that is not in any term trying to be racist, by any fact of the matter. It was just off an interview. That’s what he called himself, and we said that before and we joked about it. He laughed, whatever.”

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