Dodgers Catcher Addresses Controversial Moment with Giants Outfielder

SAN FRANCISCO — Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing isn’t trying to minimize the leg injury that Giants outfielder Jon Hoo Lee suffered during Tuesday’s game at Oracle Park.

On Wednesday, Rushing responded to a video that circulated widely, especially among Giants fans, from the night before. It seemed to show him saying “Fuck you” as Lee struggled to get up after a tag play.

Lee eventually exited the game due to the injury.

However, Rushing asserted that the moment was misinterpreted.

“I hope he didn’t take it that way,” Rushing remarked. “I plan to talk to him tomorrow and check on how he’s doing. I wasn’t saying anything directed at him; he’s a great guy.”

Rushing added that the attempts to lip-read what he said weren’t accurate.

“I might have used some words, but they weren’t real words,” he explained. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

The incident took place in the sixth inning when Lee was attempting to score on a single from Helios Ramos.

A relay throw from center fielder Alex Cole to second baseman Alex Freeland beat him easily. Still, Lee tried to evade Rushing’s tag but ended up aggravating a quadriceps injury from the previous week.

After the out was recorded, Lee continued to bat for a bit longer but eventually was ejected from the game.

As Rushing returned to the dugout post-tag, cameras caught him seemingly directing a colorful remark towards his bat, which ignited discussions on social media, particularly within the heated Dodgers-Giants rivalry. One post on platform X (formerly Twitter) amassed over a million views.

“It’s social media, so it’s whatever,” Rushing said. “What matters is that he’s okay and doesn’t think I’m coming after him or his team. I really don’t care about the noise; I just want to play hard.”

Rushing indicated that he reached out to Dodgers infielder Kim Hye-sung, who played with Lee in the World Baseball Classic, to ensure that Lee was alright.

“He’s doing what his coaches tell him,” Rushing noted. “The third base coach sent him out, and he ran hard the whole way. The slide was just a bit awkward—that’s all. I feel like the media blew it out of proportion.”