Shortstop Tim Anderson has received a suspension of three regular-season games and an undisclosed fine for making contact with umpire Tim Timmons during the White Sox’ on-field incident with the Tigers on Monday at Comerica Park in Detroit.
The contact occurred during the ninth inning, when benches cleared after Sox first baseman Jose Abreu slid hard into second base and exchanged words with Tigers infielder Niko Goodrum. Abreu was hit by a pitch in the inning.
Michael Hill, senior vice president of on-field operations for Major League Baseball, made the announcement before the Sox played the Reds.
The suspension had been scheduled to begin Wednesday, but Anderson elected to appeal.
Anderson tweeted “I call BS” shortly after the suspension was announced. He didn’t play Monday, and it wasn’t known that he was ejected from the game. Replays show Anderson in the midst of many players in the scrum, moving toward Timmons, who motioned toward the dugout, ejecting him from the game.
The ban only applies to the regular season. The Sox have three games left, all against the Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field this weekend. The Sox will begin play in the postseason next week.
Strikeout artists
Through Tuesday, the Sox ranked second in the majors with 10.20 strikeouts per nine innings, trailing the Brewers (10.23). Dylan Cease led the American League at 12.30, and Lucas Giolito was fourth at 10.26.
Carlos Rodon (12.76), who started Wednesday, and Lance Lynn (10.18) are shy of the innings needed to qualify among the top 10.
Cease, 25, ranks third in the AL with 221 strikeouts, the ninth-most in franchise history.
“He’s really got more composure than you would think for a guy with just a tad of experience,” manager Tony La Russa said. “You can just see him growing.”
La Russa likes how Cease has learned to adjust on the fly if things “get a little out of whack.”
“He never stops competing, which is probably the most important professional trait you need in this game,” La Russa said. “You’ve got to compete, and when you compete with talent, you’re good for double-figure wins.”
Cease (13-7, 3.95 ERA) leads the Sox in wins. He will make his last regular-season start Friday in an important test after being struck on the right triceps by a batted ball in his previous start in Cleveland.
All in the family
Left fielder Eloy Jimenez, on the bench-clearing in Detroit: “We are family, so that is what it’s all about. That’s how we support each other. If you’ve got a problem, everybody has a problem. It was crazy. But we support each other, so we were there for [Abreu].”
This and that
Liam Hendriks, the first pitcher in club history with 30-plus saves and 100-plus strikeouts in a season, led AL relievers in saves (37), strikeouts (108) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (15.43) through Tuesday.
u At .649, the Sox (50-27) had the best home winning percentage in the AL and third-best in the majors behind the Dodgers (.697) and Giants (.658).
