Jose Ramirez accuses Tim Anderson of 'disrespecting the game' before brutal fight

Looking for what sparked the melee between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox?

Well, we know it was Tim Anderson and Jose Ramirez squaring off and throwing punches, of course, which included Anderson getting knocked down by a right to the jaw.

But what was it that made Ramirez so mad?

MORE: The brutal Tim Anderson, Jose Ramirez fight in 12 photos

Through an interpreter, Ramirez had this to say: “I think he’s been disrespecting the game for a while. It’s not from yesterday or from before. I even had the chance to tell him during the game, ‘Don’t do this stuff, that’s disrespectful, don’t start tagging people like that.'”

“Because in reality,” he continued, “we’re here trying to find ways to provide for our families. When he does the a thing like he does on the bases, it can get somebody out of the game. So for me, I was telling him to stop doing that and then as soon as the play happened, he tagged me again really hard, more than needed, and then he just said, ‘I want to fight.’ And if you want to fight, I have to defend myself.”

Jose explains what lead up to the fight, and acknowledges the support he received from his teammates.

Jose also says this team supports each other no matter what, and not just in heated situations. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/76lMSHEyko

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) August 6, 2023