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The Los Angeles Angels lost Shohei Ohtani to their crosstown rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason. After his departure the Angels went from a 73-win team to a 63-win team. Determined to come out swinging in 2025, the Angels signed former Chicago White Sox All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson to a minor league deal.
As Anderson attempts to revive his career and reputation in LA, he sat down with AJ Pierzynski for a chat. And the former White Sox catcher noted that, in addition to playing for the same organization, the two are also members of a “particular club,” as both Pierzynski and Anderson were punched in the face on national television, per Foul Territory on X.
Cubs’ catcher Michael Barrett initiated Pierzynski into the punched-in-the-face club back in 2006 after a collision at home plate. In 2023, it was Anderson’s turn.
Anderson mixed it up with Cleveland Guardians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez, which he quickly discovered was a huge mistake. The brawl began after Ramirez slid head first into second base where Anderson was covering and the two exchanged words.
The verbal sparring escalated to a physical confrontation as both players squared up and started throwing punches. Anderson approached the fight like an AB and took a couple swings and misses before Ramirez landed an awkward but perfectly placed blow to the chin that dropped the shortstop like a sack of potatoes.
Tim Anderson hopes to get back on track with the Angels
When Pierzynski brought the brawl up during the interview, Anderson appeared visibly uncomfortable. But to his credit, he opened up about the incident, which led to a five-game suspension in August 2023.
Pierzynski broached the topic by saying that he’s “signed a million pictures of me getting punched and people still bring it to me all the time and I laugh about it and whatever… I laughed about it and moved on,” Pierzynski insisted. “I never really heard you talk about it. Did it affect you in any way?” he asked Anderson, via Foul Territory.
“I wouldn’t say I’d go as far as signing pictures. But I was going through sh*t before that moment. That was probably [what] created the energy and vibes to be able to tap into that energy,” Anderson acknowledged.
“I can’t really change what happened. But I understood a lot of things in that moment throughout that situation. I understand what love was. I understand who really is your teammate, who really got your back, who’s really in your corner. So I could say I understand those in that moment, for sure,” Anderson concluded.
Despite winning a batting title and being selected to two All-Star Games, Anderson has endured a brutal decline. After the White Sox bought him out of his contract, he signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Miami Marlins for the 2024 season. But he failed to return to form in Miami and the Marlins released Anderson in July.
Anderson has produced -3.5 bWAR over the last two seasons. Now he’s hoping to get his career back on track with the Angels. Maybe discussing his lopsided fight with Jose Ramirez will help him reset.
