More times than not, great sports villains appear in big moments on the big stage and are carved out when all eyes are on them. Some lean into the role, others would prefer to be casted in a different light. For Minnesota Twins third-baseman Josh Donaldson, his case is just a little bit different.
Donaldson is on a struggling Twins team that is in the cellar of the AL Central. It wasn't supposed to be this way, as Minnesota looked primed to make another run at a division crown at the start of the year. But injuries to Donaldson, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Luis Arraez, Mitch Garver and plenty of others have diverted those plans for the Twins.
What has emerged is Donaldson becoming a voice that has spoken out against pitchers using sticky substances, noting at one point he had a list of all the pitchers who used substances illegally. Since then, all hell has broken loose in MLB as they have cracked down on pitchers using sticky substances. Thus, Josh Donaldson has emerged as perfect villain and he seems quite fine with it.
On Tuesday night, the Twins were in Chicago facing their division rival, the White Sox. In the top of the first inning, Donaldson took Lucas Giolito deep for a two-run shot. As he crossed home plate, Donaldson made sure to note that Giolito isn't as effective in his mind without “the sticky stuff.”
Sounds like as Josh Donaldson crossed home plate after hitting his 2-run HR he said … "Hand's not sticky anymore… it's not sticky." pic.twitter.com/YQFhg54Si9
— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) June 30, 2021
When asked about this afterwards, Giolito had more than just a little to say about it.
“I saw it after the fact. He’s a f***ing pest. That’s kind of a classless move. If you are going to talk s**t, talk s**t to my face. You can go cross home plate and do all that. Just come to me. We won. The W's next to my name. They're in last place.” – Lucas Giolito on Josh Donaldson.
And thus, a rivalry is born. This comes on the heels of Donaldson specifically naming Gerrit Cole as one of many pitchers who he says knows used sticky substances before the new rule change was handed down by MLB.
Josh Donaldson: "There's been 12 or more guys already whose spin rates have magically dropped in the last week." #MNTwins x Gerrit Cole 🔜🍿 pic.twitter.com/RoYqeljSps
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 9, 2021
Cole responded by striking the Twins third-baseman out in both at-bats in their next matchup against one another.
Donaldson will get a lot of gripe for this from White Sox fans and Yankees fans and some baseball fans in general. What doesn't help his case is that the Twins are playing bad baseball this year. Had this been happening and then Minnesota was in the thick of a pennant race, it would be elevated to the max. Still, it's hard not to appreciate Donaldson being so willing to be the “bad guy” in all of this.
Giolito's response after Tuesday's affair was perfect. Cole striking out Donaldson twice and staring him down after the Twins slugger called him out directly was great as well. Baseball needs these villains, these rivalries to add a little more flare to the game.
The sticky substance situation has been a mess and MLB has turned into a laughingstock as a result. Checking pitchers between innings and seeing some of the reactions have been good in the sense that they go viral for a second and baseball is in the spotlight. Then, it's recognized that it's not exactly the spotlight the sport would prefer to be in.
At least a rivalry has formed as a result. Donaldson is on a warpath to call out these pitchers and then try to back it up when he steps into the box. It's only a matter of time before someone else is next in line on his list.
It is worth noting that Donaldson was not available to talk to the media after Tuesday's game but is expected to speak to reporters before Wednesday's contest. There's no doubting that White Sox fans will have a not so friendly welcome for Donaldson when he steps to the plate on Wednesday for the Twins. That's to be expected and that element of this is perfectly fine. Some may go out of their way to see how Donaldson does on Wednesday and to see how the White Sox treat the situation.
Josh Donaldson has become a villain as he's on a quest to call out one pitcher after another in MLB. The Twins appear to not be going anywhere this year but it won't keep Donaldson from speaking his truth on what has gone on in the sport the last handful of years with pitchers using sticky substances. While spin rates do appear to be dipping off a bit, Donaldson's voice is not. And another rivalry in baseball is perfect for the game.
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