Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig flashed the middle finger on both his hands toward several fans close to the field who were talking to him both before and after his second-inning home run at Cleveland's Progressive Field on Tuesday night.
"I reacted that way," Puig said through an interpreter after the Dodgers posted a 7-5 win against the Indians. "I stooped to their level."
Puig's 10th homer of the season gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. After he celebrated briefly with his teammates, the gesture came as he was heading to the dugout.
Asked if he regretted it, Puig said it happened suddenly.
"It's something that came out," Puig said. "There's really nothing I can do at this point."
Asked if he expected to be fined, Puig indicated there's also not much he can do if that happens.
"I can't not pay it," he said. "[The video is] everywhere. I know I did it. What can we do about it now?"
Asked if he saw the gesture, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked jokingly, "Are you sure it wasn't No. 1 he was signaling?''
It has been a relatively uneventful season for Puig, who was sent to the minors last year after he was not dealt at the trade deadline. Puig later said the stint taught him humility.