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What does Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing think about brewing ‘villain’ narrative?
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What does Dodgers' Dalton Rushing think about brewing 'villain' narrative? appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the top teams in baseball, and catcher Dalton Rushing is having a solid season. Still, the way he has acted on the field has led some to compare Rushing to former MLB catcher AJ Pierzynski .
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Now, Rushing is speaking out about those comparisons and being a villain, per Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic.
"I think guys have started to like, give me the label of (villain)," Rushing said. "I just think that's me competing at the highest level and not allowing any outside source to kind of get in my way."
Rushing has done plenty in the first month of the season to get called a villain. He accused the Rockies of "fishy" swings, and he appeared to say "f*** 'em" when Jung Hoo Lee was injured . He also got into a feud with Clint Vondrak, a home plate umpire, earlier this year. While this is all going on, Rushing is aware of the scrutiny he is under.
"The social media side of it is, they're never gonna miss," he said. "They're gonna find every avenue they can to make a bit about it."
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Still, his teammates have his back.
"Dalton can sometimes black out on a baseball field, but he believes in himself," the always calm Freddie Freeman said. "He cares so much about wanting to be good, so you can't fault someone for that. That would just be taking away something from who Dalton Rushing is. So for me, I'm not gonna ever tell him not to do that. I mean, maybe watch what you're saying on cameras, you know, and stuff like that.
While the Dodgers catcher is getting a reputation, he is going to keep playing his game.
"I don't want guys to look at me as a bad guy on and off the field,'' Rushing said. "But at the same time, I'm not going to change my game. I'm going to play the same way that I have. I'm going to control the things that are said."
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Rushing has played in just 19 games so far this year, but has had seven home runs and 17 RBIs while hitting .328. If he keeps helping the first-place Dodgers win the game, he may not mind being the villain.
Related: Dodgers' Dalton Rushing makes promise after April's viral antic
Related: Jeff Passan reveals what Dodgers really want from Shohei Ohtani this season
