Tim Anderson took a page from Kyrie Irving’s book and flipped fans the bird during a game on Wednesday in Cleveland. Unlike Irving, though, Anderson was suspended one game in addition to a fine.
Anderson is appealing the suspension and played on Friday against the Twins.
“I have to apologize for my actions,” the White Sox shortstop told reporters after falling to Minnesota in the series opener, “There are a lot of people who really look up to me. I take full accountability of what I did. But it’s something I have to learn from and grow from.”
Anderson gave the finger to a fan while in the field on Wednesday, when he had a frustrating day, making three errors in the first two innings of an 11-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
“Sometimes you are going to react different. This was one of those moments where I reacted different,” Anderson said. “But, like I said, I learned from it. I’m going to keep going and grow from it. Just continue to be me and lock it back in and keep learning.”
The 2021 All-Star has already dealt with a suspension this year, missing two games for making contact with umpire Tim Timmons last September. He’s hitting well, with a .300 average, but struggling in the field, having made six errors in 10 games after making 10 last season in total.
“We’ll talk to him about it,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Ask him what happened, why it happened. Doesn’t change anything that we believe about him. Nothing.”