Tim Anderson, Jose Ramirez among 6 ejections in bench-clearing brawl

Associated Press | Saturday, August 5, 2023 9:46 p.m.

The Guardians’ Jose Ramirez (left) and White Sox’s Tim Anderson square off during the sixth inning Saturday.

CLEVELAND — Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox and Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians exchanged punches at second base Saturday night, triggering a bench-clearing melee in the sixth inning that led to six ejections.

Ramirez appeared to connect with a right hand to the face of Anderson, who fell backward to the ground.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh and closer Emmanuel Clase, as well as Chicago manager Pedro Grifol were ejected for their actions later in a fight that included multiple flare-ups on the infield and in foul territory. It took 15 minutes before order was restored.

The altercation began when Ramirez slid headfirst into second with an RBI double and Anderson stood over him, straddling Ramirez. When Ramirez got up, he pointed his finger at Anderson and yelled, prompting them to square off.

Anderson threw the first punch, setting off a fight that saw both dugouts and bullpens empty onto the infield at Progressive Field. Sarbaugh and Clase were the primary figures in subsequent escalations during the delay.

Anderson had to be taken forcibly into the dugout by members of the coaching staff but returned to the field several minutes later from the clubhouse. Chicago teammate Andrew Vaughn physically carried Anderson down the steps following the latter outburst.

The White Sox held a 5-1 lead when the game was delayed.

After Anderson went down, the shortstop got up incensed and did all he could to get at Cleveland’s All-Star third baseman while being restrained by several teammates.

Tempers temporarily calmed before Francona and Grifol had words, leading to pushing and shoving by players and coaches on both teams as the crowd roared.

It took umpires several minutes to gain control of the situation and sort through what happened before announcing the ejections.

Ramirez and Anderson likely face suspensions, and perhaps other participants as well. Chicago entered 25 games under .500, but Cleveland was only 2 1/2 games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central.