Josh Donaldson hit a game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning against the White Sox Monday night, and he appeared to taunt the Chicago dugout after he crossed home plate. We now know what inspired him to do that.
As Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune explained, White Sox first base coach Daryl Boston decided to purchase a whistle when he was having a tough time getting outfielders’ attention to reposition them during games. Boston has since started using the whistle when the White Sox make a big defensive play and between innings.
Boston also caught wind that Donaldson isn’t a big fan of the whistle, so he decided to blow it before the Blue Jays star stepped to the plate in the sixth. Donaldson responded by belting a homer, and he mimicked blowing a whistle toward the White Sox dugout to celebrate.
Josh Donaldson celebrates his first home run then gestures to White Sox dugout.
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“I guess he (deems) it to be appropriate, so I felt it would be appropriate if I blew it back at him when they didn’t make the play,” Donaldson told reporters after Toronto’s 4-2 victory. “As soon as I stepped into the box, he started blowing it before anything even happened. So I felt like I’d return the favor.”
To their credit, the White Sox handled it well. Players could be seen laughing in the dugout, and Boston took the blame for the homer.
“My reaction was he got us,” Boston said. “I was informed he wasn’t particularly thrilled about the whistle, and he showed me he was not. … So you can pin that homer on me.”
Donaldson didn’t quite show up the White Sox as badly as Bryce Harper showed up a fan over the weekend, but he certainly got the last laugh. It will be interesting to see if Boston refrains from blowing the whistle before Donaldson’s at-bats going forward.
