The league announced on Friday that Tim Anderson had been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount for using racially-charged language in the aftermath of getting hit on the ass in the at-bat after celebrating a home run with a dramatic bat flip. The White Sox and the Royals got into a little dust-up after Tim Anderson was hit by a pitch after bat flipping a home run, a breakdown. pic.twitter.com/X4txPuGK0A — Jomboy (@Jomboy_) April 17, 2019 Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brad Keller was also suspended by MLB for his role in Wednesday’s altercation, which involved drilling Anderson in the ass with a 92 mph fastball. That pitch came two innings after Anderson drilled a 93.1 mph fastball deep into the left-field stands, punctuating his home run with a baton-twirl “Stick Talk” bat flip. As JustFiskIt has pointed out repeatedly, the home run celebration seemed to clearly come less from rubbing it into Keller than it was in response to the high heat he’d received three pitches before the homer. Here’s the six-pitch sequence that came in hard and inside on Anderson. The third pitch was 92 mph: The league made clear that Anderson’s suspension was because of his language during the “brawl” after Anderson was hit, not for his Stick Talk. Jeff Passan of ESPN is reporting that TA used the “N-word” on Keller. For his part, Anderson on Friday did not seem to dispute the reason for his suspension. He is not appealing, and will sit out Friday’s game: Tim Anderson on suspension. pic.twitter.com/b1yCJwgRw5 — Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) April 19, 2019 Keller is suspended for his dumbass adherence to old-school baseball, and presumably his unapologetic tone after the fact. Keller was suspended for five games (one start) and also fined. White Sox manager Rick Renteria, who came out to clear up the mess, seems not to have a violent bone in his body, which consists of 0.0% redass, also received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for “aggressive actions” after his played was intentionally beaned. Renteria seemed to travel far toward the Royals dugout, telling players to get off the field, which is presumably something any manager should do. K.C. skip Ned Yost — with at least a slightly-higher redass content than Renteria — then started screaming at Renteria, for “crossing the line” or some nonsense. Funny, when a manager can’t control his players, he yells at the opposing manager, instead of his own players. Renteria is not appealing his suspension, and will be off tonight as the White Sox face the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. He spoke on Tim Anderson before Friday’s game:<doc-sep>Anderson flung his bat toward his own dugout before running the bases after scoring a home run against the Royals. White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson is expected to be suspended for his role in an altercation between Chicago and the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, Stadium reported on Friday. Anderson is suspended for one game for the language used during the benches clearing, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported. Anderson was suspended for using a "racially-charged word," per Passan. Anderson celebrated a home run in the fourth inning against the Kansas City with a bat flip, which drew the ire of the opposing Royals. In his next at-bat, Anderson was hit by Royals pitcher Brad Keller, which led to a heated exchange between White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals manager Ned Yost. The benches cleared, and Anderson and Keller were both ejected from the game. Keller has also been suspended for five games. Anderson has a batting average of .422 with four home runs and 12 RBIs on the season.<doc-sep>The Angels have said Ohtani is expected to return to the lineup in May. A date hasn’t been announced. Lester improving • Cubs Manager Joe Maddon said ace Jon Lester (left hamstring strain) is “doing really well” as he works his way back, though he didn’t have an exact date on when he will throw a simulated game. Lester, 35, was injured running the bases on April 8. He has a 2.57 ERA in three starts, after tying for the National League lead with 18 wins last season. Phillies lose two • Philadelphia shortstop Scott Kingery and left fielder Andrew McCutchen left Friday the Phillies’ game Friday because of injuries. Kingery departed in the fourth inning after straining his right hamstring. McCutchen came out in the sixth with what the team said was inflammation in his left knee. Lindor set to return • Indians All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor is expected to return to the lineup this weekend, after missing the team’s first 18 games because of a sprained ankle. Lindor played in three games for Triple-A Columbus this week, and homered twice and batted .417 (five of 12).<doc-sep>
Tim Anderson’s choice of words has run him afoul of Major League Baseball’s rules. The Chicago White Sox shortstop was suspended one game for his role in Wednesday’s benches-clearing fracas between his team and the Kansas City Royals. An MLB investigation revealed Anderson’s use of a “racially charged” word against Royals pitcher Brad Keller as the reason for his suspension, and sources detailed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan exactly what he said. When MLB investigated the benches-clearing incident between the White Sox and Royals, umpires and players from both teams said Tim Anderson used a racially charged word, sources tell ESPN. Anderson received a one-game suspension from the incident, per sources. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 19, 2019 During the benches-clearing incident, White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson called Royals pitcher Brad Keller a "weak-ass f—ing n-word," sources tell ESPN. Anderson, who was hit by a Keller pitch one at-bat after he hit a home run and flipped his bat, was suspended for one game. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 19, 2019 The fracas started when Keller, who is white, hit Anderson, who is black, in retaliation for his epic bat-flip/toss in his previous at-bat. MLB suspended Keller five games and also suspended White Sox manager Rick Renteria one game his “aggressive actions,” during the altercation between the teams. Anderson won’t appeal his suspension for using racially charged language against Keller, per USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale. Anderson will sit out Friday’s game between the White Sox and Detroit Tigers. Thumbnail photo via David Banks/USA TODAY Sports Images