CHICAGO -- The Giants haven't visited Guaranteed Rate Field since 2017 and -- even with so much interleague play these days -- barely have any experience with the young Chicago White Sox. But the teams sure do seem to bring out the spiciness in one another.
Two days after Andrew Vaughn and Anthony DeSclafani exchanged words, Tim Anderson and Logan Webb did the same, with the White Sox shortstop getting ejected in a game his team would go on to win 7-3. Webb said Anderson felt he got quick-pitched and was yelling at him from the bench for the next few pitches.
"He called time and then he got back in the box and he was looking at me, I was looking at him, so I started my windup. I wasn't trying to quick-pitch or anything but he took it that way, I guess," Webb said. "He was yelling at me from the dugout for like five straight pitches. I looked at the dugout more than a couple times, once during the [Luis] Robert at-bat and then after the Robert at-bat. You could probably see what I said, and he was yelling back at me.
"I don't necessarily think he should have gotten tossed. He was talking to me, he wasn't talking to the umpires, but I'm not going to listen to that s--t for a bunch of pitches. It is what it is, I said what I said, that's about it."
The incident was the type that wouldn't have existed last season, but Anderson was leading off the inning, giving Webb just 15 pitches to throw each pitch. The hitter is supposed to be alert to the pitcher with eight seconds remaining on each pitch, and that seems to be where some of the confusion came in.
Anderson had fouled off the previous two pitches, and after the second one he used his one timeout to regroup on a 1-2 count in a one-run game. He stepped out of the box and onto the grass, taking a couple of warm-up swings before digging back in after about 20 seconds.
Webb said catcher Roberto Pérez dialed the pitch into PitchCom as the two were looking at each other and he went into his windup. Anderson stepped out but didn't try to call for time (which he couldn't do again anyway), and then stepped away entirely, seemingly knowing that he was about to strike out one way or another, either the traditional way or because of a violation.
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Anderson left the ballpark before the White Sox clubhouse opened to reporters but manager Pedro Grifol confirmed that Anderson felt he got quick-pitched.
"He says that he wasn't alert yet, he hadn't put his eyes on the pitcher and he stepped out. He probably could have called time or whatever, but it didn't happen," Grifol said. "When he got in the dugout it's that passion he's got, that passion and fight for the game. I don't have an issue with it."
(Anderson did make eye contact with Webb and also didn't have a timeout remaining.)
Grifol said Anderson was okay with striking out but his emotions got the better of him when he returned to the dugout. As he continued to yell at Webb, home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn ejected him.
"That's what makes him good, man," Grifol said. "That passion that he brings. I have no problem with it at all."
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The rule changes in the offseason have been well-received thus far, and it certainly stood out that Wednesday's game was over in 2:49 despite the White Sox getting 13 hits and the Giants walking nine times. But there still are adjustments to be made and some players are taking longer than others.
Webb was right in continuing to pitch, but that was relatively meaningless on this day. He gave up four earned runs in five innings and took his second loss of the trip.
"I wasn't getting ahead in counts. They had a very different approach than a team like the Yankees," he said. "It just seemed like they were trying to go the other way, staying on the off-speed a lot. They made a good adjustment. I didn't do a very good job of mixing some of that stuff up."