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Players from both the White Sox and Yankees said that Donaldson called Anderson “Jackie” several times during a recent game. The “Jackie” comment was reportedly in reference to the lateJackie Robinson, the Black baseball player who famously broke the MLB’s color barrier. Anderson is also Black.
Since then, Donaldson’s teammates have criticized him for the remarks, including Yankees star Aaron Judge.
“Joke or not, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do there,” Judge said in a post-game interview withSNYon May 23.
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Before the Yankees' game against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, Donaldson said it was difficult to hear the response from his teammates.
“I think that was tough to hear, for sure, just for the simple fact that I pride myself on being a good teammate, and everywhere I’ve went, every organization that I’ve been a part of, minus Oakland, has offered me extensions, has wanted me to stay back,” he said, according to theAssociated Press.
“They’ve showed that they wanted me a part of their team,” he continued. “Obviously it didn’t work out that way. And that’s just the business end of it. And also everywhere I went, I’ve won. I think part of winning is having good team chemistry, and I’ve taken pride everywhere I’ve went I’ve always tried to help people try to get better.”
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“I called him Jackie. In 2019, he came out with an interview and said that he’s the new Jackie Robinson … We’ve actually joked about that. I’ve said it to him in years past, not in any manner than just joking around,” Donaldsonsaid.
source: people.com
