Aaron Judge calls out Josh Donaldson for ‘Jackie’ taunt: ‘I just don’t think it was the right move at all’
Aaron Judge didn’t mince words when he was asked his thoughts on Josh Donaldson’s “Jackie” comment to White Sox star Tim Anderson.
“Joke or not, I don’t think [Donaldson’s comment] was the right thing to do there, especially given the history with the series in Chicago,” the Yankee slugger and clubhouse leader said of his teammate after Monday’s loss to the Orioles.
Donaldson received a one-game suspension by MLB on Monday for saying “What’s up Jackie,” as in Jackie Robinson, to Anderson, who is Black, while he was on base during the teams’ game on Saturday. The Yankee third baseman explained his misguided comment was meant as a joke because Anderson referred to himself as a modern-day Jackie Robinson in a Sports Illustrated article published in 2019. But Anderson’s point in that article was that he was breaking the “fun barrier.”
“Disrespectful comment,” Anderson said after Saturday’s game. “Basically he tried to call me Jackie Robinson, you know ‘What’s up Jackie.’ I don’t play like that. I don’t play at all.” Donaldson’s comment later caused tensions to rise and the benches cleared. When the two teams returned to their respective dugout, Donaldson was seen speaking with Judge.
Judge said Donaldson explained his poor judgment to the clubhouse, and that it was a joke he and Anderson allegedly laughed about in the past.
“Still, I just don’t think it was the right move at all,” Judge re-iterated. “But [Donaldson] got a suspension and now time to move on.”
The history between the Yankees and White Sox Judge referred to was a game between the two teams on May 13 in Chicago. Anderson dove back into third base to avoid a pickoff attempt. Donaldson tried to tag him, but did so with such force he pushed Anderson off the bag. When the White Sox shortstop got back to his feet after being ruled safe, he shoved Donaldson back. Then the benches cleared.
“Little bit of beef between Anderson and JD,” Judge said. “Anderson’s one of the best shortstops in the game, a big part of MLB, what’s going on here, and how we’re trying to grow the game. JD made a mistake, owned up to it, and now we have to move on.”
The White Sox’s overall gripe with Donaldson goes back further, to last season as least, when he made a crack about pitcher Lucas Giolito — “Hands not sticky anymore?” was what Donaldson, then a Minnesota Twin, said after hitting a home run off Giolito after MLB’s crackdown on pitchers’ use of illegal sticky substances.
