Shortstop Tim Anderson hit his ninth home run of the season Friday, and for Twins right-hander Tyler Duffey, the White Sox rookie enjoyed it a bit too much for their liking.
“I mean, he backpedaled out of the box,” Duffey said. “Stood there and enjoyed it.”
After Anderson connected for an estimated 410-foot poke in the third inning, the Twins in the visitors dugout made it obvious they disapproved of Anderson’s reaction. When Anderson batted in the eighth inning needing a double for the cycle, he had to skip forward to avoid getting hit by left-hander Ryan O’Rourke’s low pitch.
Plate umpire Tripp Gibson issued warnings, and Anderson got back in the batter’s box and grounded out to third. The game finished without further incident with Tommy Kahnle pitching the ninth inning for the Sox, who won 7-3 to drop the last-place Twins to 57-103.
“It’s just one of those things,” Duffey said. “It’s one thing to hit a homer. I gave up a 500-foot homer to Nelson Cruz and he jogs around the bases. It’s baseball. Don’t give them up if you don’t like it.”
Anderson, called up in June and enjoying an excellent rookie season, has played and conducted himself in a low-key, quiet manner.
“I have nothing to say about it,” Anderson said. “It happened and move on.”
Anderson was aware of the cycle possibility.
“For sure,” he said. “I wanted to hit a double. I did it in Double A. When everything is clicking for you, I feel real great, but it just kind of got in on me.”
