The MLB has suspended New York Yankee’s third baseman Josh Donaldson for one game for his “inappropriate” comments towards Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson. According to reports, Donaldson referred to Anderson as “Jackie” during the first inning of the Yankees-White Sox matchup on May 21. Donaldson, who is white, said the comment was a reference to a 2019 Sports Illustrated article in which Anderson, who is black, referred to himself as “today’s Jackie Robinson.” Donaldson faced immediate backlash for the comments, with White Sock manager Tony La Russa calling the comments “racist.”

MLB Senior VP for on-field operations, Michael Hill said in a statement, “There is no dispute over what was said on the field. Regardless of Mr. Donaldson’s intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions. In addition, Mr. Donaldson’s remark was a contributing factor in a bench-clearing incident between the teams, and warrants discipline.”

Donaldson has continuously rejected any claims of malicious intent with his comments, stating that he has joked about the reference in the past with Anderson. Anderson however voiced his displeasure at the comments in a post-game presser. “I wasn’t really going to bother nobody today, but he made the comment and you know it was disrespectful and I don’t think it was called for. It was unnecessary,” he remarked to the media. Donaldson and Anderson have a hostile history, however. As recently as May 13, benches cleared after Anderson appeared to shove Donaldson after a hard tag. Donaldson said that he was “trying to defuse” any lingering tension when the players crossed paths early in the game when the comment was made. Additionally, the White Sox have gotten into altercations in the past involving the third baseman.

The former AL-MVP says he plans to appeal the suspension, but many pundits around the league believe that one game isn’t enough. White Sox pitching coach, Ethan Kantz, took to Twitter to voice his displeasure at the “ridiculousness” of it all. Kantz, in a now-deleted tweet, expressed, “Just one game. We all saw his malice at third a week ago, then this comment with the ridiculous excuse that followed. What’s the point or message behind a 1 game suspension? This is incredibly disappointing and plain frustrating.”

However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone says he disagrees with the league’s decision, saying that the incident did not warrant a suspension. As of now, Donaldson remains on the Covid-19 injured list and will serve his suspension once the appeals process is over. 

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, sources said third baseman Josh Donaldson signed a four-year, $92 million contract with the Minnesota Twins Tuesday night. The contract stipulates the Florida native will receive $84 million over the first four years and includes a $16 million club option with an $8 million buyout. The $92 million is guaranteed and he has the chance to make $12 million more with incentives.

The 34-year-old was an MLB All-Star from 2014-2016 and was named American League MVP in 2015. His performance that year helped lead Toronto back to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. He finished the season batting .297 with 41 homeruns and 123 RBIs. He also finished first in runs scored with 122.

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In 2016, he continued to perform well posting a .284 average with 37 homeruns and 99 RBIs, but after battling shoulder inflamation and calf issues, Donaldson only played made 165 appearances in 2017-18.

Donaldson returned to good form last season with the Braves after signing a one-year contract worth $23 million. He played 155 games and posted a .259 average with 37 homeruns and 94 RBIs. His defensive ability at third base made him a finalist for the National League Gold Glove award and helped Atlanta win its second straight NL East Title.

Going into the offseason it seemed Minnesota’s main focus would be addressing their pitching rotation. Although the team won the AL Central with an excellent 101-61 record, they gave up 23 runs against the Yankees in the AL Division series and were swept 3-0. Donaldson adds more power to a Twins’ lineup that hit an MLB record 307 homeruns last season. They also scored 939 runs, which was good enough for second behind the Yankees.

His glove at third base will also help improve Minnesota’s poor infield defense. One analytical formula used to determine if a player is better or worse than an average fielder at preventing runs is defensive runs saved. The entire Twins’ infield was in the bottom half of the league with a minus-15 rating. Last season with the Braves Donaldson was plus-15, second best at his position in the MLB.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are among several teams who have expressed discontent with the Cleveland Indians acquiring third baseman Josh Donaldson via a waiver deadline trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to a new report.

Indians Acquire 3B Josh Donaldson At Waiver Deadline

On Sunday, The Athletic said the Red Sox and Yankees had “voiced displeasure” over the Aug. 31 swap. The Houston Astros also reportedly inquired why the deal was allowed to go through. However, the reigning national champions were happy with the response they got about the Donaldson trade, The Athletic said.

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The report claims the 32-year-old third baseman’s health status remains uncertain. Donaldson, the 2015 American League MVP, has been sidelined since May 28 due to a calf injury. He joined the Blue Jays from the Oakland Athletics in 2015.

According to ESPN, Toronto put Donaldson on “revocable trade waivers” on Aug. 29. Given that the Indians landed him just before the Aug. 31 trade deadline, he will be able to play for Cleveland in this year’s playoffs. MLB rules dictate that players need to be officially listed as “healthy” in order to be put on trade waivers. Donaldson was re-added to the 10-day disabled list on Labor Day. Add the fact that the MLB Players Association was ultimately forced to intervene, and the situation involving Donaldson seems like a minor controversy.

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Donaldson is a three-time All-Star who has also won two Silver Slugger Awards and who was the AL RBIs leader in 2015.

After losing the first three games in the American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays rebounded in Game 4 on Tuesday night to remain in the competition this postseason.

Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays Beat Indians 5-1, Stay Alive In ALCS Game 4

Josh Donaldson homered and Edwin Encarnacion delivered a crucial two-run single as the Blue Jays extended the ALCS with a 5-1 home win over the Cleveland Indians.

Aaron Sanchez picked up the win by allowing only two hits over six dominant innings to bring the series score to 3-1.

Encarnacion put the game out of reach with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to plate the third and fourth Toronto runs.

The Blue Jays became just the fourth team since 1985 to force a Game 5 after trailing 3-0 in a LCS. The 2004 Red Sox, who were managed by current Indians manager Terry Francona, are the only team to rally from three games down to come back and win a best-of-seven series after they eliminated the Yankees in the ALCS. The Blue Jays hope to become the second.

“It’s an uphill battle,” Donaldson said. “We’re still down three games to one. It’s a must-win each and every game. But the fact of the matter is we’ve got to go out there and continue to control what we can control. I felt like we did that for the better half of today, and we’ve got to go out there and do it again tomorrow.”

Toronto’s struggling lineup found itself in a difficult spot after Cleveland went with ace Corey Kluber on three days’ rest. Kluber had not yet given up a run this postseason, although Donaldson ended that in the bottom of the third with a with a solo homer to left-center field. For the first time in this series, the Blue Jays gained a lead.

The Blue Jays scored another run in the fourth on Ezequiel Carrera’s bloop single before getting some much-needed breathing room with two more in the seventh on Encarnacion’s bases-loaded single up the middle.

“We’re capable of doing even more than we did today,” Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista said. “I really haven’t been killing the ball. I’m getting on base. A bunch of us are capable of doing more than we’ve done. The bottom line is, we only need to do as much each day to get that win, and we got that today.”

Sanchez also played a major role in the victory, and he set the tone early with a three-up, three-down first inning, which included a pair of strikeouts. His only mistake came in the fifth inning, when he allowed an RBI double off the wall in left-center field to Roberto Perez. The AL leader sruck out five and walked two in total in his quality start.

“Well, you can see the velocity, everybody sees that,” Francona said of Sanchez. “But right from the very first inning, he commanded his breaking ball … and that made it really, really tough on us.”

Game 5 is set for Wednesday night in Toronto. Rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt will get the start for the Indians. Merritt has a grand total of 11 career big league innings under his belt. The Blue Jays will counter with righty Marco Estrada, who over the past two years has posted a 2.02 ERA over five starts in the playoffs.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 18: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians during game four of the American League Championship Series at Rogers Centre on October 18, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Josh Donaldson raced home from second base after an errant throw by Rougned Odor in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a thrilling, 7-6 home victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 3 of the AL Division Series on Sunday night, thus completing a sweep.

Josh Donaldson’s Dash Propels Blue Jays Into ALCS With 7-6 Win Over Rangers

The Blue Jays will next play Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night in Boston or Cleveland (time TBD). The Indians lead that series 2-0, with Game 3 scheduled for Monday following a postponement Sunday.

Toronto had runners on first and second base when Russell Martin hit a grounder to the gap between shortstop and third base. Elvis Andrus got the out at second, but Odor’s relay throw to first escaped Mitch Moreland, and Donaldson– the reigning AL MVP– beat the first baseman’s throw to home plate with a headfirst dive.

“Well it was 3-2 and Russell was taking some pretty big swings,” said Donaldson. “I was expecting contact right there. I was able to get a pretty good secondary [lead]. I was at third base when the throw was being made. Once I saw him miss the pick, I felt I had a chance right there, and fortunately for us, I was able to make it.”

Donaldson led off the 10th with a double into the right-center field gap and Matt Bush intentionally walked Edwin Encarnacion. The umpires reviewed whether Encarnacion’s slide into second was legal, but the ruling on the field was confirmed and no interference was called.

“It was crazy,” Martin said. “That’s the best ground ball to short I’ve ever had, I think.”

Encarnacion and Martin scored first-inning homers, while right-hander Aaron Sanchez did not factor into the decision after he was charged with six runs on three hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. The bullpen took it from there, with 4 1/3 scoreless frames.

Odor’s night came to an end in a devastating way, although he earlier hit a two-run homer scored a pair of runs. Andrus also went deep for Texas and Moreland added two RBIs with a go-ahead double in the sixth inning. Rangers righty Colby Lewis did not take a decision after he allowed five runs on five hits over two-plus innings. The loss went to Bush, who threw two scoreless innings before the decisive 10th.

“It’s our belief that any time you enter Spring Training, it’s one mission, and that’s to win and play for the opportunity to win the World Series,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “That’s been our mission all along. It’s disappointing in a sense we’re not going to continue to play. But I’m most proud of how our guys continued to battle.”

Encarnacion helped set up Donaldson’s wild dash by reaching second base in 3.55 seconds, which forced Odor his throw to first. According to Statcast, that was Encarnacion’s fastest first-to-second time on a force-out or double play all season, topping his previous best of 3.81 seconds. Donaldson topped out at 19.5 mph, which was faster than any speed he clocked in the last two weeks of the regular season after missing three games with a sore hip.

“When you have 50,000 fans screaming, it kind of numbs the pain a little bit,” said Donaldson, who is still bothered by the sore hip. “It gives you that little extra bolt of adrenaline. … The fact of the matter is I want to be out there for my team, my teammates want me out there and I want to contribute in any way possible.”

The Rangers had a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth before a one-out single by Troy Tulowitzki, a double by Melvin Upton Jr. and an intentional walk to Kevin Pillar loaded the bases. Reliever Keone Kela got Darwin Barney to pop out, but his first pitch to Ezequiel Carrera got away from catcher Jonathan Lucroy for a passed ball to tie the game. Kela retired Carrera on a flyout to right to end the inning.

“We all expected to compete better than this,” Lucroy said post-game. “It’s very disappointing.”

The Rangers will next open the 2017 season against the Indians on April 3 at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 09: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays races home to score the game-winning run in the tenth inning during MLB game action against the Texas Rangers in game three of the American League Divison Series at Rogers Centre on October 9, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Coming out of the 2016 MLB All-Star Game, the story lines have been etched in stone: David Ortiz says goodbye, again. The Kansas City Royals have really good players and a Canadian tenor is treading in hot water after proclaiming his social stance during his performance of “O’ Canada.”

Lost in the celebration’s for Sally P. (Salvador Perez) and ASG MVP Eric Hosmer was how Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado cost the National League a shot at home field advantage in October.

OPINION: Nolan Arenado Just Cost NL Home-Field Advantage In World Series

With the N.L. trailing the A.L. 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Arenado stepped to the plate representing the game’s tying run.

Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy grinded out a long at-bat before serving one back through the box for a base hit.

With Murphy on first and one out, Arenado turned one over to Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, who started a 5-4-3, around-the-horn double-play.

Conventional wisdom would suggest that the play was routine, and even from this video it is difficult to surmise where Arenado mis-stepped.

But after reviewing the replay of Fox’s broadcast (like a hundred times) it is impossible to deny that Arenado was dogging it up the line.

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Arenado appears confused at first, moving at a snail’s pace out of the box. Then about two-thirds of the way down the first baseline he stops.

John Smoltz, a Hall of Fame pitcher and color-man for Fox’s broadcast of the ASG, intimated that he believed Arenado looked like he lost track of how many outs there were and when Donaldson fired to second, Smoltz speculated that the Rockies third baseman thought that was the ballgame.

It wasn’t.

And that’s why the “Respect 90” campaign, launched by Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon, wages on.

During spring training, Maddon made a point to players that he wanted them to bust it down the first baseline as a means to putting good ju-ju into the atmosphere.

“It really is the message I want to get out there,” Maddon said. “I believe if we respect that 90 feet every day, a lot of good things are going to happen here.”

Not so coincidentally, it could be Maddon’s Cubs that suffer the consequences of Arenado’s error.

Chicago owns the best record in baseball and stand as a 4/1 favorite to reach the World Series.

But due to one Rockie’s half-hearted effort to climb up the first baseline, the Cubbies, and all other N.L. teams vying for a pennant, will play the majority of their games on the road should they reach the mountaintop.

Plenty of people think the rule is dumb.

“How could you decide something so important within an exhibition game?”

Easy. Remember 2002 in Milwaukee, when the game ended in a tie because neither team had any players left on the bench to continue, and it kinda just … ended?

No, maybe you know it better as the Torii Hunter game? When he robbed Barry Bonds of a home run early on and Bonds lifted Hunter into the air as he ran off the field.

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Well former Commissioner Bud Selig remembers, and by extension, so does Major League Baseball. And neither of them ever want to look that awkward on camera again.

So Arenado having a brainfart halfway out of the batter’s box carries a little more weight than just “the integrity of the game.”

I am certainly not alone in this critique.

Acclaimed baseball writer Peter King tweeted “Way to run, Nolan Arenado.”

Arenado is a fine player. Maybe even better than that considering the entire sports media world has been calling him “the most underrated” player in the game.

But if you’re a fan of an N.L. team, knowing the team with home-field has won six of the last seven World Series, you would almost rather who is overrated … and runs out ground balls.

Josh Donaldson scored his 11th home run of the season in the Toronto Blue Jays‘ 3-1 road victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson Criticizes MLB For Not Protecting Players Enough

It came in the first inning, and after rounding out the bases, Donaldson gave the Twins dugout a sharp glare.

Four innings later, Phil Hughes, the Twins’ starter, threw consecutive pitches at Donaldson– one that nearly hit him in the gut, and another that flew behind him.

The third baseman was understandably upset with the pair of pitches that were thrown nowhere near the plate. He complained to the umpire before Blue Jays manager John Gibbons came out and got ejected for the fourth time this season.

“I was asking, ‘Hey, that’s twice now. What are we doing?'” Donaldson said via AL.com. “He should throw him out of the game. You saw both pitches. The first one almost hit me in my gut. And the second one almost hit me in the back. It went behind me.”

Hughes was not removed for throwing at Donaldson twice, and the Toronto slugger criticizes Major League Baseball, saying the league should protect hitters more and do away with the ‘beanball culture’ that’s taken over the sport.

“They say they’re trying to protect players,” Donaldson told reporters after the game. “They make a rule that says you can’t slide hard into second base. They make a rule to protect the catchers on slides into home. But when you throw a ball at somebody, nothing’s done about it. My manager comes out to ask what’s going on, and he gets ejected for it. That’s what happens.

Donaldson then continued:

“I just don’t get the point. I don’t get what baseball’s trying to prove. If I’m a young kid watching these games, why would I want to play baseball? Why? If I do something well or if somebody doesn’t like something that I do, it’s, ‘Oh, well, I’m going to throw at you now.’ It doesn’t make sense. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

The slugger was ejected from a game just one day earlier.

Donaldson has a point: MLB doesn’t often go far enough to protect hitters. Pitchers aren’t typically suspended for throwing at batters, unless it leads to a benches-clearing, punch-throwing brawl as it did between the Blue Jays and Rangers. Even then, the pitcher (Matt Bush) only received a one-game suspension, compared to eight for Rougned Odor. That’s not to say hitting a batter is the same as punching a baserunner, but suspensions could be handed out more generously by MLB.

TORONTO, CANADA – APRIL 24: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays races around first base as he hits a double in the third inning during MLB game action against the Oakland Athletics on April 24, 2016 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)