An angry group of Black Lives Matter demonstrators outside Yankee Stadium called Wednesday for the Bronx Bombers to release third baseman Josh Donaldson over his racial dustup with White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.
The protesters gathered outside the Bronx ballpark where Anderson reacted angrily when Donaldson referred to the Black player as “Jackie” this past weekend — a snide reference to Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color line in 1947.
“Donaldson’s gotta go!” the group organized by Black Lives Matter Greater New York chanted outside Gate 4 of the House that Ruth Built. Others raised signs with “Racism is Racism” written above the team’s familiar NY logo.
Members of BLM Greater New York protest MLB player Josh Donaldson outside Yankee Stadium on Wednesday in the Bronx. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)
“Jackie Robinson was a pioneer for MLB and Black wealth in general, and it is shameful that Donaldson would invoke his name in this manner,” said Councilwoman Kristin Richardson Jordan (D-Manhattan).
“We urge the Yankees to support Black-led initiatives in light of these comments as a form of good will,” she added.
New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson (left) and Chicago White Sox baserunner Tim Anderson (right) share words at third base in the first inning of a game at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on Friday, May 13. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
The incident happened this past Saturday, with Donaldson making the remark while standing on second base only a soft toss away from Anderson’s spot in the infield.
Donaldson said the remark was a friendly joke among friends. But Anderson said he wasn’t friends with Donaldson and that the comment was racist.
Major League Baseball announced that Donaldson has been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount for “inappropriate comments during Saturday’s game.”
“We cannot allow a little bit of racism to slide,” said Chivona Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Greater New York. “We cannot allow people like Donaldson to get away with these microaggressions, to get away with this anti-Black behavior.”
BLM Greater New York co-founder Hawk Newsome speaks during a protest of MLB player Josh Donaldson outside Yankee Stadium Wednesday, May 25, 2022. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News)
Donaldson has elected to appeal the suspension. The Yankees did not respond to a Wednesday email for comment on the protest, but MLB senior vice president for on-field operations Michael Hill said the infielder was unquestionably in the wrong.
“Regardless of Mr. Donaldson’s intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions,” read a statement from Hill.
Copyright © 2021, New York Daily News
Copyright © 2021, New York Daily News