Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler hit a clutch home run that proved to be the game winner in a 4-3 victory over the Pirates on Thursday night, but it's what he did afterward that left many people talking.
After hitting the three-run shot off reliever Richard Rodriguez with two outs in the sixth inning, Kinsler crossed home plate and threw his arms up. He twice appeared to point at the crowd and shout expletives on the way to the dugout.
The @Padres Ian Kinsler clobbers a 3-run homer and then gives the @PetcoPark fans a shoutout. I hope I'm really, really bad at reading lips.
— Kyle Kraska (@KyleKraska) May 17, 2019
Courtesy: FSSD pic.twitter.com/tgoBaLLG88
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Kinsler continued his celebration in the dugout. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, he yelled, “(Expletive) every single one of these (expletives)."
The outbursts led some to speculate that Kinsler was venting his frustration at Padres fans, who have criticized the veteran's performance this season. The 36-year-old Kinsler is batting .175, and some fans booed after he went hitless in his first two at-bats Thursday.
“That was for my teammates,” Kinsler said, via the Union-Tribune. “It had nothing to do with the fans. It’s an inside thing with them. I was trying to get everyone fired up. We had a tough road trip. I’m a passionate player. I tried to get my teammates going. That was it."
Padres manager Andy Green said afterward Kinsler's actions were "not the right response."
“Understand the emotion of the game a little bit and the frustration that he’s felt up to this point in time of the season," Green said. "Not excusing anything by any stretch, but understanding what it feels like to go to the plate every day and grind and struggle. The world we live in, you hear a lot of hostility and some of that comes out a times. It’s not the right response, but understanding the emotion of the game, that’s probably the best response.”
But Kinsler insisted that his actions were an inside joke among teammates ("Andy doesn't know all the jokes," he said), and he again denied directing any of his language at fans.
“We need the fans," he said. "That’s important in a ballpark and in a home field. We need the fans to be behind you. We need the fans to bring energy for you every day. It’s a marathon of a season. Any time you can get the fans on your side, it’s a good thing. We need the fans with us.”
Kinsler, a four-time All-Star, signed a two-year deal with San Diego in the offseason.