Lucas Giolito took issue with Josh Donaldson’s antics as he crossed home plate after hitting a home run against him Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Donaldson fired back against the White Sox right-hander. He even had some spicy words for Sox TV postgame host Ozzie Guillen.
“He calls me classless,” Donaldson said of Giolito. “I didn’t think I was showing him up during the game. I was talking to my bench.”
Donaldson appeared to yell “It’s not sticky anymore” while rubbing his hands together as he crossed the plate, an obvious dig at Giolito in the wake of Major League Baseball’s crackdown on pitchers’ use of sticky substances. Donaldson has been outspoken about pithers using it for some time.
“He’s a [bleeping] pest,” Giolito said after the Sox’ 7-6 win Tuesday, in which Giolito pitched six-plus innings of three-run ball to earn the win. “That’s kind of a classless move. If you’re going to talk s—, talk s— to my face. Don’t go across home plate and do all that, just come to me.”
Donaldson said he later talked face to face with Giolito and said Giolito didn’t say much to him.
“He said he thought it was annoying,” Donaldson said. “I said, ‘So what? I’m on the opposing team. What do you care about me? I’m in your face, I’m telling you what I think. What do you have to say about that?”
Donaldson said Giolito didn’t respond.
During the postgame show on NBC Sports Chicago Tuesday, Guillen said the Sox should throw at Donaldson. On Wednesday, Donaldson took issue, going so far as to mention Guillen’s career numbers and Guillen’s comments about Fidel Castro in 2012.
“And I got Ozzie Guillen talking s— on the air saying that, ‘I’d let one go, hit him in the ribs,’ ” Donaldson said. “Ozzie Guillen, you were a career .700 OPS hitter, man. You were a three-time All-Star and you had an under .700 OPS. My worst season in the big leagues is 150 points higher than that. This is also coming from the man that said he loves Fidel Castro. That’s who we’re taking advice from? What are we doing around here?
“Hey, I’m trying to make the game fair. I didn’t make the rules.”