An ill-tempered Los Angeles Dodgers backup catcher has recently been under scrutiny for his alleged slur against the Chicago Cubs’ Miguel Amaya. Even Nico Hoerner, who signed a 6-year, $141 million extension with the Cubs, publicly regretted not defending Amaya and criticized him. Following the controversy, the 25-year-old Dodger spoke to the California Post for the first time on Saturday, per the NY Post.

“You never want to be viewed as a guy like that from opposing teams,” Dalton Rushing said. “You want guys to hate playing against you because of the player that you are and how great you are on a baseball field. Not because of the verbalized things you say.”

Rushing boasts a 1.245 OPS with 7 homers and 17 RBI in 16 games this year. In his 53 plate appearances, Rushing has touched 39 total bases while driving in 9 extra base hits. But his recent comments have overshadowed his performance at the plate. And Rushing certainly does not want opposing teams or fans to hold a negative perception of him.

The controversy started on April 18, when the Dodgers lost to the Colorado Rockies 4-3. The struggling Rockies were the first NL opponent to have handed them back-to-back defeats this year. When the Dodgers reliever Will Klein’s breaking balls did not affect the Rockies’ lineup, Rushing became suspicious. The catcher called it “fishy” as they got in first-pitch hits; however, Dave Roberts was quick to shut him down.

Then, another series loss to the San Francisco Giants led to another Dalton controversy. In the series opener, after Rushing tagged out Lee to end the sixth, he walked to the dugout saying “F—em” while looking at Lee. Although Rushing later explained that he did not direct his remark at Lee, critics widely condemned him. Logan Webb ended the drama with a four-seam fastball that hit Rushing on the ribs in the series finale, which the Dodgers believed was intentional.

Rushing did not get respite from another controversy that involved the Chicago Cubs. When asked whether Hoerner had understood Rushing’s comments against Amaya correctly, he reportedly denied it but refrained from recounting the exact words. The Dodgers’ catcher rather acknowledged Hoerner’s discontent:

“Regardless, there was a word said, whether it was positive or negative or what. And he didn’t like it. And I respect that.”

In the second season of his MLB career, Rushing does not want to build a bad image for himself. Considering his verbal outbursts do not enhance his play anyway, Rushing wants to keep a stronger hold on his temper.

“Obviously, you know what social media can turn you into, [how it can] build an image for yourself both positively and negatively. So, I think from here on out, it’s just my job to build a positive platform for myself,” observed Rushing, per NY Post. “There’s things that can change. There’s things I’m going to change,” he said.

Though Rushing has blamed his football years for his temperament, he is determined to flip the narrative in his favor, especially after Nico Hoerner called him out.

What did Nico Hoerner say?  

During the Dodgers’ 12-4 win against the Cubs, Amaya was at first base when Roki Sasaki threw a pitch in the dirt. Amaya took off running and slid safely into second before Rushing could throw him out. Rushing then allegedly passed an insensitive remark. Although no one heard him then, lip-readers on the internet later concluded that Rushing had called Amaya a ‘fat f—k.’

It was Hoerner’s at-bat when this happened, and he was stunned by the comment. He later expressed his regret for not confronting Rushing then.

“I wish that I had confronted him a little more directly, to be honest. I was pretty taken aback in the middle of my at-bat,” Nico Hoerner said on the “Spiegel and Holmes” podcast. “It was just kind of a strange thing to experience, so, yeah, I felt a little weird about that.”

Turns out, Rushing regrets the moment as well. He has reached out to Hoerner via his agent to clear the air. The same agency, Apex Baseball, represents both of them.

“I respect his point of view on it, from the looks and the sound of it,” Rushing told the Post. “And I respect him sticking up for his players. I would do the same thing for any of these guys.”

The Dodgers’ manager, Roberts, also believes Rushing needs to be mindful of what he says.

“He’s bringing stuff onto himself he doesn’t need to bring on,” Roberts said, reportedly. “There’s a responsibility to not be reckless because everything is captured.”

Now, it’s up to Rushing to regulate his inner football player and bring his best foot forward, behaviorally, in baseball.