HOUSTON — Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel says he didn’t intend to offend Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish when he made a racist gesture after homering against him during Houston’s 5-3 win in Game 3 of the World Series on Friday night.
"I didn’t try to offend nobody," Gurriel said in Spanish through a translator. "I was commenting to my family that I didn’t have any luck against Japanese pitchers here in the United States."
Gurriel, a 33-year-old from Cuba, made the gesture shortly after homering to start Houston’s four-run second inning. While sitting in the dugout, Gurriel put his fingers to the side of his eyes and said "chinito" — a derogatory Spanish term that translates literally to "little Chinese."
Darvish was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Iranian father. He has issued a statement regarding the gesture on Twitter.
Gurriel said the derogatory term is used commonly in Cuba to refer to Asian people. He said he knew the Japanese are offended by it because he played in Japan in 2014.
"In the moment, I didn’t want to offend him or nobody in Japan because I have a lot of respect for them and I played in Japan," he said, adding that, "I didn’t mean to do it."
A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the league intends to speak with Gurriel. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly addressed the matter. Gurriel may be punished, including a possible suspension during the World Series.
Commissioner Rob Manfred plans to speak with Yuli Gurriel tomorrow.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 28, 2017 Darvish played professionally in Japan from 2005-11 before joining the Texas Rangers in 2012. He was traded to the Dodgers at this year’s July 31 trade deadline.
Darvish was angry about what happened. "Acting like that, you just disrespect all the people around the world," he said in Japanese through a translator.
Gurriel spent 15 years playing in the Cuban professional league and played in Japan in 2014 before signing with the Astros last season. Gurriel homered and doubled in Game 3 and is batting .346 in the post-season.
"I know he’s remorseful," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said.
