The Chicago White Sox on Sunday suspended left-hander Chris Sale in a that reverberated between leagues. Rockies slugger Carlos Gonzalez wondered aloud about why a team would take away its own ace pitcher over a shirt.
“If I’m playing with Chris Sale, I want him to pitch,” Gonzalez said before the Rockies hosted the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field. “If he wants to play with no shirt, we play with no shirt. I just want him to pitch.”
Sale on Saturday was displeased with having to wear promotional throwback uniforms from 1976 that feature and large, spread collars. He reportedly cut up the uniforms before the game After an argument with a member of the White Sox front office, the team on Sunday suspended Sale for five days. The White Sox are currently 47-50 and 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement: “Chris has been suspended for violating team rules, for insubordination and for destroying team equipment. While we all appreciate Chris’ talent and passion, there is a correct way and an incorrect way to express concerns about team rules and organizational expectations.”
Baseball has a general tradition of allowing the pitcher to decide on his team’s uniform for that day. Colorado’s Gonzalez, who learned about the backstory Sunday, wondered why a promotion would trump an ace pitcher.
“They can move it to a different day,” Gonzalez said. “He’s one of the best pitchers in the game. The pitchers always get the opportunity to choose what they want to wear. I don’t know what happened over there.
“I want Chris Sale to pitch, that’s what I want,” Gonzalez said.
You can see how excited the White Sox were the last time they wore the types of uniforms Chris Sale cut up tonight.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan)
