The White Sox and Guardians endured an absolute brawl on Saturday night, one that saw multiple rounds of several fights. It started between Tim Anderson and José Ramírez.
What happened?
José Ramírez attempted second base on a ball he hit into right field. Tim Anderson laid down the tag, but Ramírez wasn't happy with his technique. Ramírez stood up, pointed at Anderson, and the two flicked off their gear and squared up, boxing style.
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This unfolded into a benches and bullpen-clearing brawl between both teams. And just when you thought one was over, another started. Pedro Grifol was involved. Eloy Jiménez came away limping after being stepped on. Andrew Vaughn physically picked up Anderson and carried him into the dugout after the shortstop went back for another round.
After the dust settled, Anderson, Ramírez, Grifol and Emmanuel Clase, who ran from the bullpen and started fighting, were all ejected from the game.
How did the fight start?
We need to rewind to Friday night to understand how this started.
White Sox News
In the fourth inning during Friday's contest, Anderson laid down a tag on Brayan Rocchio, who was initially called safe. It appeared Anderson pushed his hand off the bag, tagging him in the process. New York reviewed the play, and overturned it, calling Rocchio out.
That play caused manager Terry Francona to arise from the dugout and argue with the umpires. He stayed on the field for a while, yelling in the face of the home plate umpire, even after he walked away. Francona was ejected from the game, criticizing the call after the game while meeting with the media.
It's seemingly safe to say Anderson's initial bump and tag on Rocchio stirred some controversy and earned him an unlikable reputation with the Sox' division counterparts. And when Anderson laid down another controversial tag on Ramírez, that was the last straw.