SAN FRANCISCO — Dalton Rushing didn’t seem too pleased when he was plunked in the ribs by a 93 mph fastball from Logan Webb during the top of the sixth inning on Thursday afternoon.
But given what transpired earlier in the series, it wasn’t a surprise.
A viral video on social media appeared to capture Rushing, the backup catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, saying “F— ’em” after a play at home plate left Jung Hoo Lee in pain after the San Francisco Giants outfielder was tagged out on a close play Tuesday night.
Rushing denied using an expletive.
The Giants appeared to have taken exception. With one out in the sixth and the Giants trailing by three, Webb’s 1-0 fastball hit Rushing squarely in the ribs. Rushing threw his bat down before walking to first base. On the next play, Rushing slid hard into Giants shortstop Willy Adames, attempting to break up a double play at second base.
There were no on-field incidents; the benches didn’t clear and the umpires were not involved. But the game’s unwritten rules had emotions running high.
After the game, Giants second baseman Luis Arraez called Rushing’s slide “dirty.”
“He slid into Willy’s feet and, for me, that’s no good,” Arráez said. “That’s not good baseball. Thank God Willy’s good and we made the double play.”
An interesting sequence of events here 🤨 pic.twitter.com/I88Nu9XErt
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 23, 2026
Webb claimed he didn’t know about the incident while talking to reporters after the game, which the Dodgers won 3-0.
“What thing with Jung Hoo?” Webb said. “I didn’t even see that.”
When asked where he was trying to locate the pitch, Webb said he was trying to throw a fastball inside. Webb added that the pitch “slipped” as he was walking away from reporters, using the same phrase right-hander Landen Roupp uttered after hitting Spencer Steer with a pitch on the Giants’ recent road trip to Cincinnati.
But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a different perspective, conceding the hit by pitch was likely intentional, though he understood the dynamics behind it.
“It probably was (intentional),” Roberts said. “For me, (Rushing) said what he said. I don’t think he meant it too personally. But they see it. Social media catches it. Webby’s an old school guy, and he’s protecting his teammates.”
“That’s baseball,” Roberts added. “They’re going to hit you. Webby’s got really good command. I get it. They’ll deny it. No problem. I liked the way (Rushing) went in hard. It’s nothing against Adames, and they turned a double play. It’s good baseball. Good, hard-nosed baseball.”
The original incident took place in the bottom of the sixth during the Giants’ 3-1 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday. Lee was attempting to score from first. The relay throw home arrived well ahead of Lee, who slid in hard but was tagged out by Rushing. Lee appeared disoriented after the play and remained seated on the ground for several minutes.
As Rushing walked off the field, he looked over his shoulder, shrugged and appeared to curse dismissively.
Dalton Rushing after seeing Jung Hoo Lee possibly injured in a play at the plate (I’m pretty sure):
“F$&k em”
Giants Dodgers rivalry is alive and well. pic.twitter.com/h4aAjFTZyk
— Allen Stiles (@The_StilesFiles) April 22, 2026
Rushing told reporters on Wednesday he did not realize Lee was hurt, and reached out to teammate Hyeseong Kim, who played with Lee on Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic, to help clear the air. Rushing also denied using the expletive.
Still, the Dodgers knew some form of retaliation could be coming with Rushing back in the lineup Thursday.
After the game, Rushing maintained that his hard slide into second was meant to break up a double play and denied any intentionality.
“It’s baseball,” Rushing said. “It’s a little bit of old school, and it’s the way I play.”
“That’s the way I’m taught to run the bases,” he added. “It’s the same thing going first to third, whether the score is 6-0 or 2-1. It’s nothing against those guys. Hopefully the air is cleared, hopefully they got out what they wanted to. And I enjoy getting on base, so (it) doesn’t bother me.”
It was the second time this month that a Giants pitcher threw with suspected intent at an opposing batter. Last week in Cincinnati, Roupp drilled Steer one day after Steer called for a timeout at the last moment, which upset Giants right-hander JT Brubaker. The Giants were expected to play with more of an edge under new manager Tony Vitello, whose teams at the University of Tennessee were known for their brash and aggressive style of play. And against no opponent do the Giants play with more of an edge than the Dodgers, who are their historic rivals.
The teams will meet again in mid-May for a four-game series in Los Angeles.
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