Yuli Gurriel will not be suspended for his inappropriate gesture during Game 3 of the World Series until next year, a high-ranking official told USA TODAY Sports.
Instead, he will be suspended the first five games of next season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the actions had not been announced.
Gurriel was caught on camera making a slant-eyed gesture and also seemed to say the Spanish word “chinito,’’ meaning “little Chinese guy,’’ in reference to the Japan-born Yu Darvish.
Yuli Gurriel under fire after gesture made in dugout after homering off Yu Darvish: https://t.co/CoY4gEYRDG pic.twitter.com/TmF1HJNUTo
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) October 28, 2017
“Yesterday I was commenting that I’d never had any success against Darvish, and the gesture was saying that I wish he would look at me like one of them (Japanese players) and maybe he’d throw me an easy pitch so I can do something,’’ said Gurriel, who was 1-for-7 in his career against Darvish before the home run. “At no point did I mean that in an offensive way. On the contrary, I’ve always had a lot of respect for them.’’
Darvish termed Gurriel’s ugly gesture “disrespectful’’ but was mostly in a forgiving mood, suggesting it be a learning experience.
After the game, he posted a conciliatory tweet that read in part, “No one is perfect. That includes both you and I. What he had done today isn’t right, but I believe we should put our effort into learning rather than to accuse him. If we can take something from this, that is a giant step for mankind.’’