There was a fight Saturday that may have been more entertaining than some of the stuff you tuned into knowing you’d see a fight.
Bench-clearing brawls are a dime a dozen in the big leagues, but a Saturday one in Cleveland between the Chicago White Sox and Guardians started after a legit Performance of the Night-worthy one-punch knockout.
And just like you’d see in MMA, when the victim of that punch got back to his feet, he needed multiple people to help him off the field because he was on such wobbly legs. To be certain, it might not have been the best idea for White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson to pick a fight with Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez.
When Anderson applied a tag at second to a headfirst Anderson, Anderson didn’t like it much. According to MMA Junkie parent mothership USA Today the incident was the culmination of two games’ worth of tension. Anderson took his glove off and put up his fists in a classic fighting stance. He threw twice and missed, and a second later he was on the ground from a perfectly placed Ramirez right hand.
There were five finishes in 12 fights at UFC on ESPN 50 on Saturday, but Ramirez’s punch might have been worth $50,000 had it been in the cage in Nashville, Tenn.
Check out photos and video highlights from the melee below. And what do you think? Does Ramirez have a future in the fight game?!
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, that’s on you.
The TV call
Tom Hamilton's call of the Jose Ramirez-Tim Anderson fight on Cleveland radio is the stuff of legend.
Aug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) slides into second with an RBI double as Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) waits for the throw during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) slides into second with an RBI double as Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) is late with the tag during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) stands over Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) after Ramirez slid into second with an RBI double during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The start
Aug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Umpire Malachi Moore tries to separate Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) after Ramirez slid into second with an RBI double during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Umpire Malachi Moore tries to separate Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) after Ramirez slid into second with an RBI double during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) raises his fists to fight Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) fights Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Teammates holds back Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) after Anderson and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (not pictured) got into a fight during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech (34) yells at Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Teammates restrain Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) after a fight during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, left, and first baseman Josh Naylor, right, hold back relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) after a fight during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Teammates hold back Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson (7) after Anderson and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (not pictured) got into a fight during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Umpire Bruce Dreckman, center, tries to control the situation after a fight between the Cleveland Guardians and the Chicago White Sox during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY SportsAug 5, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech (34) and Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) fight as White Sox relief pitcher Bryan Shaw (41) tries to stop it during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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