NEW YORK ā Tim Anderson said everything he had to say with one swing of the bat ā and a commanding trot around the bases.
Anderson hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning and then put a finger to his lips to silence fans booing and chanting āJackieā at him, capping a tumultuous weekend and helping the Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees 5-0 Sunday night for a doubleheader sweep.
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āWhat a day,ā White Sox manager Tony La Russa said.
A day after Anderson, who is Black, accused Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson, who is white, of making a racist remark by calling him Jackie Robinson, the All-Star shortstop didnāt play in the first game. AJ Pollock hit a tiebreaking homer off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning as the White Sox won 3-1.
Anderson was jeered during pregame introductions and prior to each at-bat in the nightcap. White Sox starter Michael Kopech said he heard fans chanting āJackieā at Anderson in the second game.
Anderson had already hit two singles when he homered over the right field wall with two outs, finishing off a five-run inning.
Anderson took a slow trot and put his hands to his lips in a shushing gesture as he rounded the bases. He clapped his hands several times upon crossing home plate and pointed skyward before again making a silencing motion.
āI think that was just one of the cooler things Iāve seen ā watching an entire crowd thatās shown low class towards him, booing him, calling him āJackieā and then hitting a homer and putting us in a good position to win,ā Kopech said. āHave nothing but respect for him.ā
Anderson did not speak to reporters before or after the doubleheader.
āWhen you talk about how special he is, just think about the game he had under those circumstances,ā La Russa said. āItās special.ā
Donaldson also did not speak to reporters. Through a Yankees spokesman, Donaldson said he had not talked to Major League Baseball about the situation and didnāt talk speak to Anderson on Sunday.
There didnāt appear to be any carryover on the field in either game from the previous afternoonās anger and tension when the benches and bullpens emptied. Donaldson acknowledged Saturday he called Anderson āJackieā ā a reference to the pioneering baseball icon that elicited criticism from both managers.
Donaldson said it was part of an inside joke with Anderson. MLB is investigating the incident.
āHe deserves the recognition and he deserves the respect,ā La Russa said of Anderson. āIf somebody disrespects him, he should get upset. I know I would.ā
La Russa said Donaldsonās comment was āracistā following Saturdayās game, a 7-5 Yankees win. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday he believed Donaldson didnāt mean any harm with his words, but thought using such a term was āā¦somewhere he should not be going.ā
Kopech returned from paternity leave Friday after going home to witness the birth of his second child. He retired the first 17 batters before Rob Brantly doubled in the sixth.
āTo be honest, my mind hasnāt been on baseball until yesterday, and that probably helped me quite a bit,ā Kopech said.
Kopech (1-1) allowed just the one hit and two walks while striking out six over seven innings.
Luis Severino scattered eight hits over seven scoreless innings. Jonathan Loaisiga (1-2) lost in relief.
āThey outpitched us today,ā Boone said. āThey were able to hold us down today.ā
Donaldson sat out the finale after going 0 for 4. With two on and one out in the eighth, he flied out to the track in right-center.
White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal, who confronted Donaldson on Saturday, went out to talk to reliever Kendall Graveman as the Yankees third baseman approached the batterās box. Donaldson stepped back out of the box as Grandal returned to the plate.
Aaron Judgeās eighth-inning homer off Graveman (1-1) cost Johnny Cueto a win in the opener. The resurgent 36-year-old righty allowed six hits, walked two and struck out five in his second major league outing of the season.
Liam Hendriks, who used an expletive earlier Sunday to describe how he didnāt believe Donaldsonās explanation, struck out two in a perfect ninth.
Hendriks pumped his fist and yelled loud enough to be heard three levels away after whiffing Jose Trevino for his 13th save.
Yankees starter Jameson Taillon allowed one run on five hits in a season-high seven innings. Chapman (0-2) took the loss.
EARLY EXIT FOR BLAKE
Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake was ejected for arguing with home plate umpire Greg Gibson in the third inning of the nightcap, when Anderson hit a ball off his foot but was credited with an infield single when Severino stumbled while trying to set to throw to first.
TRAINERāS ROOM
White Sox: LHP Aaron Bummer (right knee strain) was activated from the 15-day injured list and served as the 27th man for the doubleheader.
Yankees: RHP Chad Green (elbow), long one of the Yankeesā top setup men, will undergo Tommy John surgery. Green was hurt while pitching against Baltimore on Thursday night. ā¦ OF Joey Gallo and C Kyle Higashioka were each placed on the COVID-19 IL. Boone said neither player has tested positive but both were showing symptoms of the coronavirus.
UP NEXT
White Sox: After an off-day Monday, RHP Dylan Cease (4-1, 3.09 ERA) is slated to start against the Boston Red Sox as the White Sox begin a five-game homestand.
Yankees: RHP Gerrit Cole (4-0, 2.89 ERA) pitches Monday in the opener of a three-game series against visiting Baltimore.
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