During Game 3 of the 2017 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, Houston first baseman Yuli Gurriel appeared to make a racist gesture toward Los Angeles pitcher Yu Darvish. Gurriel while also appearing to say the word "chinito," a Spanish term loosely meaning "little Chinese boy."
Gurriel is expected to talk with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Saturday, and could well face discipline which may include a suspension during this World Series. He faced the media after Game 3, and here's what he said through a translator, according to MLB.com reporter Joshua Thornton:
"I didn't want to offend anybody. I don't want to offend him or anybody in Japan. I have a lot respect. I played in Japan."
"In Cuba, we call everybody who's from Asia, 'China.' ... I know it is offensive to them and they don't like that, but I didn't mean to do it."
"I didn't think anybody would think I mean to do all those kinds of things like that. Japan opened my doors to me in baseball and I did meant to offend them."
ON when he knew the gesture was caught on TV: "I didn't know what happened. Somebody called me on the later in the game and they let me know during the game."
ON Darvish: "Of course, I want to talk to him because I don't have anything against him. I think he's one of the best players from Japan and I never had success off him. If he feels offended, I want to apologize to him."
"It caught me by surprise. I didn't think I tried to offend anybody. I was kind of shocked people telling me that. I didn't try to offend anybody."
Perhaps the most notable takeaway here is that Gurriel, who played in Japan during the 2014 season, knew the word he used was viewed as offensive by Asians. And yet, even with that admission, the rest of the apology is cut from the unsatisfying "sorry if I offended anyone" cloth.
In the past, players such as Matt Joyce and Kevin Pillar have been suspended for using homophobic slurs. We'll see if Gurriel receives some kind of punishment before Game 4.
