Liam Hendriks has previously said he didn’t get along with Josh Donaldson when they were teammates in Toronto.
The current White Sox approached the Yankees’ third baseman Sunday via Donaldson, who referred to Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson as “Jackie” during Saturday’s game at the stadium.
Donaldson said he made a joke about Anderson calling himself “today’s Jackie Robinson” in a 2019 Sports Illustrated story, but Anderson took the sting and Chicago manager Tony La Russa called it a “racist” comment .
“Completely inappropriate,” Hendriks said of Donaldson’s words. “And then when you hear what was said after the game, you usually have inside jokes with people you get along with, not people who don’t get along at all. So that statement was spot on for Bulls-t.”
Liam Hendriks AP
Hendriks, who was a teammate of Donaldson at the Blue Jays in 2015, said players from other teams have had similar experiences with him sharing a clubhouse.
“My feelings towards the person in question are pretty well documented, the fact that we don’t get along,” Hendriks said. “And the fact that I’ve spoken to him now, do I think it’s four different clubhouses that he’s been to? And as a whole, none of them understood each other [with Donaldson]. So trying to whip that narrative out is complete and utter bullshit – t… I don’t see how he ever thought about it that way. It’s just delusional.”
Regarding Anderson, Hendricks added that the White Sox “have the back of TAs in everything,” as evidenced by the benches that collapsed after Chicago catcher Yasmani Grandal later in Saturday’s game with Donaldson.
“I’m very happy with Yaz’s decision to confront him at the plate,” said Hendriks. “That shows how strong this clubhouse is, that shows the brotherhood in this clubhouse that we have.”
Josh Donaldson during the Yankees-White Sox game on Saturday.Getty Images
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Sunday Donaldson met with him and some Yankees teammates about the matter ahead of Sunday’s doubleheader, but Hendriks revealed some of the White Sox also reached out to Donaldson’s teammates.
“I know a couple of our guys made sure a couple of their guys at their clubhouse knew exactly what was going on,” said Hendriks. “He knew damn well what he was doing and he wanted it to be exactly the way it was. He just didn’t want the effects to be as quick and as severe as they were.”