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Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson was recently suspended for one game after referring to Tim Anderson as “Jackie,” in reference to a comment Anderson made from 2019 when he compared himself to Jackie Robinson. Nonetheless, MLB felt it was out of line and handed Donaldson the suspension.
There have been a number of different opinions on the incident. Tony La Russa flat out called Donaldson’s words racist, while ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith stood up for Josh Donaldson (for the most part). Yankees star Aaron Judge is the latest sports figure to give his thoughts on the controversy.
“It’s a tough one. Joke or not, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do there especially given the history… the series in Chicago, kind of a little bit of beef between Anderson and JD,” Judge said. “Anderson is one of the best shortstops in the game. He’s a big part of MLB and what's going on here, how we can grow the game.”
“Joke or not, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do there..”
Aaron Judge’s response to the suspension of Josh Donaldson. pic.twitter.com/mNSaaESMq3
— Pinstripe Strong (@PinstripeStrong) May 24, 2022
Judge continued by discussing the suspension itself.
“JD for that one game suspension, I don’t know. JD, he made a mistake, owned up to it, now we gotta move on.”
Aaron Judge later referred to him as a “pro” and said Donaldson addressed the team following the Anderson incident.
The Yankees are certainly ready to move past this. Aaron Judge displayed strong leadership abilities by condemning Donaldson’s words, but still accepting Donaldson as a teammate. The team is rolling right now and the last thing they need is an unnecessary distraction to throw them off course. New York currently owns the best record in MLB while Judge leads all of baseball in home runs.