Yermin Mercedes has not been shy about displaying his personality. It is part of why he is so likable and also a key to his success. Anderson shared his full support early in the season saying: "He's authentic, he's being himself. You hit it a mile, it's OK to pimp it, it's OK to watch it. It's cool. Not everybody's doing that, not everybody's hitting a big-league home run. For him to be able to do that, it's OK for him to enjoy it, man. And I'm going to back him up 1,000 percent. " La Russa was not as thrilled with Mercedes's home run and he let it be known the next day. He called the decision to swing away a "big mistake" while adding it as poor sportsmanship and deserving of punishment. He was particularly upset that Mercedes missed the take sign, disrespecting their division rivals given the situation. Two things make these comments especially discerning. For starters, the White Sox came into the season wanting to play with an edge. Lucas Giolito is featured in a commercial talking about the White Sox wanting to play with a "killer mentality." Prior to the season, Anderson talked about the White Sox lacking a killer instinct. "We need that dog in us. We need some, 'Let's go out here and whoop these motherfuckers,'" he said on NBC Sports White Sox Talk Podcast. He continued, "It might be 10-0 in the first, let's keep going." Mercedes continuing to play hard despite what the scoreboard said certainly fits that description. The manager apologizing to the Twins, who have a history of beating down on the White Sox, does not. Even if Mercedes did make a mistake in missing a sign, it's not as if La Russa hasn't made his fair share of mistakes. He did not know a rule in an extra-inning game against the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the season. The difference in opinions between Anderson and the Hall of Fame manager seems to have the potential to create a rift in the locker room. After La Russa made those comments Anderson took to Instagram to publicly defend Mercedes.
“The game wasn’t over Keep doing your thing big daddy,” Anderson wrote.
Mercedes responded saying “yes sir let’s do it, baby”.
Evan Marshall apparently felt the same way and began liking Tweets that were critical of his manager.
Lance Lynn chimed in after Tuesday's game saying,
"If a position player is on the mound, there are no rules. Let's get the damn game over with. And if you have a problem with whatever happened, then put a pitcher out there."This is not the first time that there have been reports of disdain in the clubhouse. Jeff Passan reported on May 3rd that patience in some parts of the White Sox clubhouse was growing thin. That came after La Russa allowed Billy Hamilton and Leury Garcia to hit, even though Robert was available on the bench. La Russa's explanation after the game was that he was "looking for a single there." That was the same game he left Lucas Giolito in too long. After a solid outing, he sent him back out for the seventh inning despite showing clear signs of fatigue. Giolito wasn't going to ask out of the game. That responsibility fell on La Russa, who after the game said he didn't realize Giolito was gassed. He'd made the same error three weeks earlier with reliever Matt Foster and admitted "that's lousy managing." It is easy to see why patience is running thin. La Russa did not help things in Tuesday's post-game press conference. Tyler Duffy threw behind Yermin Mercedes in a retaliation attempt from his actions the day before. Kevin Pillar can attest to the fact that throwing hard projectiles at someone 90 plus miles an hour is dangerous. Tony La Russa had no problem with the Twins throwing at a 28-year-old rookie.
"I don't have a problem with how the Twins handled it," he said in regards to the situation. Yermin Mercedes has been the best hitter on the White Sox this season. He is first in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. Mercedes trails only the reigning MVP in RBI’s. Instead of sticking up for a player that has given everything he has to help his team win ballgames. He sided with the team that tried to intentionally harm him. They say winning cures all. La Russa is lucky the White Sox have the best record in baseball otherwise these problems may come bubbling to the surface and it could get ugly.
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