The drama surrounding Yermin Mercedes hitting a home run late in a blowout win over the Minnesota Twins earlier this week is threatening to derail the Chicago White Sox’s otherwise solid start to the season.
The manner in which White Sox manager Tony La Russa publicly chastised Mercedes for violating the so-called unwritten rules of baseball then doubled- and tripled-down on it is of course the main reason why the team has plunged into seeming chaos.
No further evidence that the White Sox continue to get deeper and deeper into perilous territory is how superstar and team leader Tim Anderson posted a cryptic tweet Wednesday morning amid all the drama surrounding La Russa’s handling of the situation.
In some of his initial comments on the incident, La Russa called Mercedes not taking a 3-0 pitch from Twins position player Willians Astudillo during the ninth inning of Monday’s 16-4 blowout win a “big mistake.”
Then, after Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey threw behind Mercedes during Tuesday’s game — which resulted in the pitcher’s ejection, as well as the ousting for manager Rocco Baldelli — La Russa defended the Twins.
“I wasn’t that suspicious. I’m suspicious when someone throws at someone’s head,” La Russa said after Chicago’s 5-4 loss, via ESPN. “I didn’t have a problem with how the Twins handled that.”
It did not end there for La Russa’s polarizing commentary regarding Mercedes. Ahead of Wednesday’s series finale matinee, La Russa again defended his position.
La Russa said, per USA Today, “you think you need more [runs] to win, you keep pushing. If you think you have enough, respect the game and opposition. Sportsmanship.”
“If you’re going to tell me that sportsmanship and respect for the game of baseball and respect for your opponent is not an important priority, then I can’t disagree with you more.”
Close to the same time La Russa was sticking by his stance, Anderson fired off this cryptic missive on Twitter.
What makes Anderson’s social media commentary resonate even more is how this is not the first time he’s seemingly made his opinion of the situation known.
In reaction to the above Instagram dispatch from NBC Sports Chicago, both Anderson and Mercedes left comments, as shared in the outlet’s article.
Anderson’s comment read: “The game wasn’t over! Keep doing you, big daddy.”
Mercedes responded: “Yes sir, let’s do it, baby.”
The evolving situation surrounding the White Sox — including how La Russa has attempted to handle it from an old-school perspective — obviously can still reach a satisfactory conclusion. However, skeptics quickly questioned the wisdom of the White Sox bringing in La Russa, who last ran a dugout in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals, arguing that he’s not a fit in today’s game.
While La Russa expressed understanding of the concerns surrounding his hire, it merits noting that some of the said skepticism came from within the White Sox’s own clubhouse, including from Anderson. While the fiery superstar stated in spring training he had grown comfortable with La Russa, it remains to be seen if the events of this week will lead to Anderson reverting to his original opinion.
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