Dodgers’ Asian-American GM OK’s with Gurriel penalty

HOUSTON — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the first World Series manager of Asian descent, said Saturday he supports the decision not to banish Houston’s Yuli Gurriel from the World Series over his racist gesture.

Gurriel was given a fivegame suspension to be served at the start of the 2018 season on Saturday by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred for actions Friday during the Astros’ 5-3 home victory over the Dodgers.

But the 33-year-old Cuban, who used his fingertips to pull the outer edges of his eyes in a dugout gesture aimed at Dodgers’ Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish and caught on television cameras, will not miss any World Series games.

“I’m happy the commissioner of Major League Baseball dealt with it very swiftly,” said Roberts. “It gives us all some closure in the sense that it was something that happened. The way that it was dealt with I support.”

Roberts, born to an African-American father and Japanese mother, praised Darvish for asking for calm and learning rather than anger for what he called a “disrespectful” gesture.

“The way Yu responded, on camera, through social media, I completely commend him, support him, echo his thoughts that we need to learn from this. It’s obviously not acceptable,” Roberts said.

“Speaking for the players, the coaches, the Dodgers, just really trying to get back to focusing on baseball... I think the focus should be on the games.”

The Astros led the bestof-seven championship final 2-1 after Friday’s triumph, in which Gurriel’s solo home run ignited a four- run Houston second inning that chased Darvish from the mound after 1 2/3 innings, the shortest start of his career.

Gurriel, who must undergo sensitivity training in addition to missing games, is remorseful about his actions, Astros manager A. J. Hinch said

“My feeling on the ruling is we owe the respect to the commissioner’s office at the highest level that he’s spoken on behalf of the whole sport,” Hinch said. “I understand the gravity of this type of things and I have great remorse that it involved our team.

“Yuli has great remorse and I appreciate that out of him. It’s very personal for me with Dave Roberts and his family heritage and Yu. We had Nori Aoki on this team earlier this season and we know how diverse our sport is. And so we support everything that’s right about this game and we’ll move forward, if everyone will allow us to.”

That could be an issue, with many seeing Gurriel’s escape from a Series ban as an escape from serious punishment.

“Knowing Yuli, knowing what he will do to convince everyone that this incident was not in his heart, will be key,” Hinch said. “How everybody else responds to the cultural diversity that is our sport will all be governed by the commissioner’s office and we’ll support and continue to try to educate everyone.”

NO DISTRACTION FOR ASTROS

Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel, set to start today’s fifth game, vowed Gurriel’s action will not be a distraction for the team.

“Under no circumstance is that going to be a distraction,” Keuchel said. “I firmly believe he’s going to come out and play like he has.

“Guys make mistakes and we need to move on. He’s very sorry for what he did, I know that. Yuli is a guy that I can call my friend and somebody that would never want to disrespect anybody. He knows he made a mistake and he’s very sorry for it.

“Yu was very commendable and wants to move on, as well. So hopefully we’ll put this past us and learn from it.” —