Perez was outraged that Anderson, for the second time this season, delighted too much in homering against Kansas City (Perez says Anderson did it on Opening Day, too), and he told Anderson so — twice. The second lecture, at second base, led to a silly emptying of benches and bullpens.
FOSTER: Ranking baseball’s five dumbest unwritten rules
The dustup ended with the two men shaking hands at the request of umpire Gerry Layne, although Anderson appeared unenthused.
From the Kansas City Star, here’s part of what Perez said he told Anderson:
Shorter: Don’t be a robot, but don’t be a jackass, either, at least in the way I define jackassery.
‘But I don’t disrespect your team. I respect your team, too. I hit some homers, too, I keep running the bases, I don’t get loud like you.’ That’s the only thing I told him. Keep doing what you’re doing, bro, have fun, but again, respect my team. That’s it. So he was mad about that."
Oh, and you better not be a jackass when your team is wearing out my team (Chicago is 5-1 vs. KC and outscoring it 41-22 this season) and my team is terrible (6-20, last in the division).
“Especially now, to see how things are going in here. We lost a lot of games. We just (need to) find a way to win. Play hard. And you’re going to do that to my team in that situation? I’m not gonna let him do that,” Perez said, per the Star.
That sounds a lot like, “Bruh, if we were actually good and crushing it in the standings, I’d have probably kept quiet, but now I’ve got to be the fun police, because baseball.”
The Royals won the game 5-2 to split Saturday’s doubleheader, so they had that going for them afterward.
Perez said his nemesis won’t get a fastball in his ribs/legs/shoulder in retaliation — on one condition (per the Chicago Tribune): “I don’t want him to do it again (or) we have to make some decisions.”
Jot all that down, Tim. Get those unwritten rules straight in your head.
