New York’s DJ LeMahieu rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam in the second inning of the Yankees’ 7-5 win over the White Sox on Saturday in New York. Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press

NEW YORK — Chicago White Sox star shortstop Tim Anderson accused Yankees slugger Josh Donaldson of making a racist remark by calling him Jackie Robinson during Saturday’s game against New York.

“He just made a, you know, disrespectful comment,” said Anderson, who is Black, “Basically, it was trying to call me Jackie Robinson. Like, ‘What’s up, Jackie?’”

“I don’t think it was called for,” Anderson added after New York’s 7-5 win at Yankee Stadium.

Anderson, an All-Star shortstop who is among the leading Black voices in baseball, told Sports Illustrated in 2019: “I kind of feel like today’s Jackie Robinson … because he changed the game, and I feel like I’m getting to a point to where I need to change the game.”

Donaldson said that in the first inning, “I called him Jackie.” The white ballplayer also said he has “joked around” with Anderson in the past using the same reference and mentioned the 2019 Sports Illustrated interview.

Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947. Every team in the big leagues has retired his No. 42 to honor the struggle, sacrifice and social impact he had on the game and beyond.

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“My meaning of that is not any term trying to be racist by any fact of the matter,” Donaldson said. “Obviously, he deemed it disrespectful,” he said. “And look, if he did, I apologize. That’s not what I was trying to do by any manner and that’s what happened.”

RAYS 6, ORIOLES 1: Randy Arozarena hit a pair of homers, Jeffrey Springs threw shutout ball into the sixth inning and Tampa Bay spoiled the debut of Baltimore’s top prospect Adley Rutschman in Baltimore.

The switch-hitting Rutschman was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft and is ranked as baseball’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He batted sixth and had a stand-up triple in the seventh for his first major league hit. Rutschman went 1 for 3 with a strikeout and a walk.

Springs (2-1) made his third start since being elevated from the bullpen. He was dominant and allowed just one hit with seven strikeouts and four walks in 5 2/3 innings.

ASTROS 2, RANGERS 1: Justin Verlander had another splendid start to lead Houston to a win over Texas in Houston.

Verlander (6-1) scattered six singles across six scoreless innings without a walk to earn his major league-leading sixth win. The 39-year-old right-hander, who made his return from Tommy John surgery this season, tied a season high with eight strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 1.22, which also leads the majors.

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TWINS 9, ROYALS 2: Joe Ryan struck out six and Minnesota capped the game with a four-run ninth inning for a 9-2 win over the Royals in Kansas City, Missouri.

Ryan (5-2) allowed one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.

INTERLEAGUE

BLUE JAYS 3, REDS 1: Bo Bichette hit two home runs, pitcher Alek Manoah matched his career-high with eight innings, and Toronto won at home.

Bichette’s first was solo home run off Reds right-hander Hunter Greene in the fourth, No. 50 of Bichette’s career, and added a two-run blast off Luis Cessa (2-1) in the seventh. Both came on the first pitch in his sixth career multi-homer game. Five of his six home runs this season have tied the game or given the Blue Jays the lead.

Greene allowed one run and four hits in six innings, walking two and striking out six in his first start since tossing 7 1/3 hitless innings against Pittsburgh last Sunday,

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Manoah (5-1) allowed one run and seven hits to snap a three-start winless streak and getting his first W since April 28 against Boston. He walked none and struck out four.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

METS 5, ROCKIES 1: Sterling Marte homered in his return to the lineup, and New York won in Denver in the first game of a split doubleheader.

Friday’s game was postponed when wintry weather blew into Colorado after temperatures were in the high 80s on Thursday. Snow continued to fall Saturday morning but by first pitch the skies were clearing and the temperature was 45 degrees.

DIAMONDBACKS 7, CUBS 6: Daulton Varsho drilled a two-out, three-RBI double in the 10th inning then scored on a throwing error by Andrelton Simmons to give Arizona a comeback win in Chicago.

Arizona only got one hit off Cubs starter Justin Steele, but came to life against the bullpen, riding a three-run eighth inning into extras. Rowan Wick (1-1) gave up Varsho’s double.

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Arizona has won three straight games after ending a six-game losing streak in Thursday’s series opener. Varsho finished 3 of 5 with three RBI and is second on the Diamondbacks with eight doubles this season.

PADRES 2, GIANTS 1: Joe Musgrove pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball to remain unbeaten, Manny Machado homered and San Diego won in San Francisco.

Jurickson Profar had two hits as the Padres extended their winning streak to three with their fifth win in six games.

Wilmer Flores homered for the Giants, who lost their third straight after winning eight of 10.

Musgrove (5-0) struck out four and walked three on 100 pitches. The Padres are unbeaten in his eight starts.

DODGERS 7, PHILLIES 4: Mookie Betts homered, doubled and singled, knocked in three runs, threw out the potential go-ahead run at the plate and sparked Los Angeles to a win in Philadelphia.

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Betts, the five-time All-Star and 2018 AL MVP, about did it all with his arm and at the plate to help the Dodgers rally from a 4-1 hole. He also drew a walk.

Gavin Lux lined the go-ahead single to right over a drawn-in infield in the eighth inning for a 5-4 lead. Cody Bellinger scored on Searanthony Dominguez’s wild pitch to make it 6-4.

José Alvarado (0-1) allowed two hits to open the eighth and took the loss. Daniel Hudson (2-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless inning of relief and earned the win. Craig Kimbrel worked a scoreless ninth for his ninth save.

BRAVES 4, MARLINS 3: William Contreras homered twice, Ronald Acuña Jr. extended his two-season on-base streak to 28 games and Atlanta beat host Miami.

Acuña singled, walked twice, stole a base and scored a run. His string began last summer and was interrupted when the star outfielder injured his knee in Miami on July 10, ending his year.

The Braves led 4-2 when closer Kenley Jansen struck out the first two batters in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Jacob Stallings then walked, Jazz Chisholm Jr. had an infield single and Garrett Cooper hit an RBI double.

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Jansen struck out Jorge Soler, the MVP of the World Series for Atlanta last year, to get his 10th save.

CARDINALS 5, PIRATES 4: Paul Goldschmidt went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two RBI to lead St. Louis to a win in Pittsburgh.

Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 14 games and his on-base streak to 28. His two-run double capped a four-run second inning.

Bryan Reynolds hit an inside-the-park home run for the Pirates, and Yoshi Tsutsugo had a two-run double. Both finished with two hits — Reynolds also doubled.

NOTES

YANKEES: New York placed Chad Green on the injured list with a strained right elbow and the stalwart reliever could be headed for surgery.

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Before the Yankees opened a series with the Chicago White Sox, Manager Aaron Boone said Green was getting other opinions before making a final decision. Green was injured during Thursday’s loss in Baltimore, and before Friday’s rainout Boone said the strain is a significant one.

This season, Green is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 14 appearances. Since becoming one of New York’s high-leverage relievers in 2017, he has a 2.96 ERA in 260 appearances. Last season, Green was 10-7 with a 3.12 ERA in 67 appearances when he struck out 99 hitters in 83 2/3 innings.

PHILLIES: Bryce Harper returned to the Phillies lineup as the designated hitter after he missed the previous five games because of soreness from a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow.

The reigning NL MVP hit third for the Phillies against the Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Mitch White.

The 29-year-old Harper is batting .305 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, 27 RBI and a .634 slugging percentage. He has been playing exclusively at designated hitter since injuring his arm on a throw from right field last month. He last played the field at Miami on April 16.

ORIOLES: Baltimore called top prospect Adley Rutschman up to the majors, paving the way for the 24-year-old catcher to make his big league debut.

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The switch-hitting Rutschman was the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft and is ranked as baseball’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline. The Orioles selected his contract from Triple-A Norfolk and designated catcher Anthony Bemboom for assignment.

Rutschman reached Triple-A last year but had a triceps injury before this season. He’s hit .309 with a .942 OPS in 19 games across three levels of the minors in 2022.

METS: New York placed pitcher Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain. The move is retroactive to Thursday.

Scherzer left his start on Wednesday night after experiencing tightness in his side. An MRI performed Thursday revealed a moderate to high-grade internal oblique strain, according to the Mets. Scherzer is expected to be out six to eight weeks.

In other moves Saturday, the Mets reinstated outfielder Sterling Marte from the bereavement list, recalled right-handed pitcher Jake Reed and added right-handed pitcher Adonis Medina as the 27th man for a doubleheader at Colorado. The Mets also optioned second baseman Gosuke Katoh to Triple-A.


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