The match-up between the Giants and Dodgers included an undercurrent of tension.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said he thought San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb intentionally hit Dalton Rushing in the sixth inning of Thursday afternoon’s series finale at Oracle Park.
Webb’s HBP and Roberts’ Reaction
Webb drilled Rushing on the ribs with a four-seam fastball. Roberts believed this was retaliation for the Dodgers catcher’s perceived slight of Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee earlier in the series.
Roberts said, “For me, he said what he said. I don’t think he meant it too personally. But they see it. Social media catches it. Webby’s an old-school guy, and he’s protecting his teammates.”
Webb stated, “I didn’t see that,” when asked about Rushing’s interaction with Lee.
Rushing’s Slide and Arraez’s Accusation
Rushing responded by making a hard slide into shortstop Willy Adames to try to break up a 4-6-3, inning-ending double play. This earned him glares from several Giants players as they walked off the field.
Giants second baseman Luis Arraez said afterward that he thought Rushing’s slide into second base was “dirty.”
“The umpire said it was a double play because he slid into Willy’s feet,” said Arraez. “For me, that’s not good baseball. It’s not clean baseball. Thank God Willy’s good, and we made the double play.
“It’s dirty, but for me, this is baseball.”
Managers Weigh In
Roberts offered his view of the situation.
“I liked that, too. That’s baseball,” Roberts said. “They’re going to hit you. Webby’s got really good command. I get it. They’ll deny it. No problem. And I liked the way [Rushing] went in hard. It’s nothing against Adames, and they turned a double play. It’s good baseball. Good, hard-nosed baseball.”
Origin of the Perceived Slight
The origin of the feud can likely be traced to Tuesday night’s series opener, when cameras appeared to catch Rushing saying, “F– em,’” as he walked back to the Dodgers dugout after tagging Lee out at the plate for the final out of the sixth inning.
Rushing’s reaction came across as insensitive considering Lee went down hard on his slide into home and ended up departing the game after aggravating a bruised quadriceps on the play. The Dodgers’ backstop later denied having said anything insulting about Lee when he spoke to reporters the next day.
Rushing also said that he talked with Hyeseong Kim, Lee’s close friend and former KBO teammate, to check in on the Giants right fielder and try to smooth things over. He was aware of the reaction to the clip on social media, but he said it did not bother him.
“I don’t really care,” Rushing told reporters on Wednesday. “I play the game hard, and I play with fire. … There’s no direction towards him or anything. I just think some people make something out of nothing.”
The situation didn’t escalate beyond that in an eventual 3-0 win for the Dodgers.