ARLINGTON, Texas -- After offering a "no comment" Tuesday night when asked about Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler's wave to the dugout after hitting a first-inning home run, Rangers manager Ron Washington opened up Wednesday morning about Kinsler's actions, saying that in the old days the second baseman would have been hit in his next at-bat for his actions.
"It wouldn't have been nothing personal," Washington said on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. "It was just saying, 'Hey, go ahead and enjoy what you just did, but don't do that."
Washington said pitcher Colby Lewis was miffed by the gesture, but Kinsler, who played with the Rangers for eight seasons, said he was just having fun. After Kinsler's next at-bat in the third, Lewis exchanged words with him as he was running by.
"I told him it was good to see him," Lewis said.
Washington said Lewis planned on sending Kinsler a message during the at-bat, but things changed as the game progressed.
"I think Colby's intention was to go up and in on him," Washington said. "But a lot of times you try to do stuff like that, the ball gets away from you and you could hurt someone, and after he didn't, he just decided he was going to go ahead and get him out. But I think after he got him out, he let him know how he felt when he crossed the plate."
