Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing is slowly becoming baseball's biggest villain. And he's only in his second MLB season.
For one to take such a role, a few things need to be in order. Said players have to stir up a little controversy, have to be pretty dang good and on at least a really good team.
Rushing checks all those boxes. The Dodgers are back-to-back World Series champions. Although the 25-year-old Rushing made his debut with the Dodgers in 2025, he's already swiftly becoming recognized as one of the better backup catchers in baseball. He might be starting if the Dodgers didn't already have Will Smith committed to a long-term deal.
Now, on to the controversy that makes Rushing appear to be disliked across the league. Whether intentional or not, he has an awareness issue when it comes to base sliding. It was on display during the Dodgers' blowout, 12-3, victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9.
Rushing drew a walk in the top of the fifth inning as the Pirates held a narrow 2-1 lead. The ensuing batter, Alex Freeland, hit a ground ball to Pittsburgh second baseman Brandon Lowe, who grabbed it and spun, making a throw to Jared Triolo, who made a late throw to first. Freeland was deemed safe, but Rushing was called for runner's interference.
He attempted a slide to make it safe at second base, except he was feet away from the bag and collided with Triolo. The rule, according to MLB, states that fielders have a right to occupy any space needed to catch or field a batted ball and also must not be hindered while attempting to field a thrown ball. Additionally, runners have to make a reasonable attempt to touch the bag and avoid the fielder.
It appears Rushing did not.
Dalton Rushing "villainous" timeline: Building a 'bad boy' reputation in MLB
If the June 9 fiasco with the Pirates was a one-off incident, then maybe folks would turn the other cheek — but Rushing has been making it a habit to agitate opponents. Here's a timeline of events that have contributed to Rushing being deemed the MLB 'bad boy.'
April 18
Rushing caused a stir after a 4-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 18. After the game, Rushing criticized the Rockies' hitters, saying their approach was "fishy," a statement that manager Dave Roberts shot down.
“I think it’s odd that some of those hitters that do what they do, they go up there and they’re on the first pitch that was thrown,” Rushing said. “It’s a little fishy but I’ll wear it."
Roberts responded to those comments in April, shutting down any notion that Rushing hinted at.
“I saw some bad breaking balls," Roberts said. "So I don’t think there was anything fishy behind it. I think there were some bad pitches.”
April 21
Another incident occurred during baseball's hottest rivalry: Dodgers-Giants. San Francisco's Jung Hoo Lee made an attempt to score from first base after a single to center field on April 21. Lee was quickly getting around the bases, but was thrown out at home by Rushing for the third out.
Lee seemed to be upset or in pain after the play and as Rushing walked back to the dugout, he looked back at Lee on the dirt and seemingly mouthed "F--- him".
The next game in the series on April 22, Rushing was hit with a pitch from Giants ace Logan Webb in retaliation. Rushing was intentionally walked. Hyeseong Kim was up to bat next and hit a grounder to right field as second baseman Luis Arraez scooped it and made the play to shortstop Willy Adames, who had to brace for Rushing sliding right at him.
Arraez told reporters after that game that Rushing's style is "not good baseball."
April 26
Rushing was caught body shaming his opponent. Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya stole second base after Rushing wasn't able to deliver the ball in time. A frustrated Rushing could be seen mouthing "fat f---" geared towards Amaya. A few days later, Cubs teammate Nico Hoerner confirmed that's what Rushing said.
""I wish I had confronted him," Hoerner said during a radio appearance on 104.3FM The Score. "I was pretty taken aback. ... At the end of the day, you just wanna have your teammates back."
April 28
Rushing was irate when he was given a third strike during an April 28 matchup with the Miami Marlins after he requested a timeout, but the umpire allegedly never heard him. Rushing struck out due to a pitch clock infraction.
May 7
Rushing attempted damage control in an interview with The Athletic where he said that he does not buy into the villain role that people are looking to cast on him, but will continue to play the way he does.
"I think guys have started to like, give me the label of (villain)," Rushing told The Athletic. "I just think that's me competing at the highest level and not allowing any outside source to kind of get in my way."
He added: "I don't want guys to look at me as a bad guy on and off the field," Rushing said. "But at the same time, I'm not going to change my game. I'm going to play the same way that I have. I'm going to control the things that are said."
June 9
Rushing's collision June 9 with Triolo was the icing on the cake. It even sparked a reaction from Shohei Ohtani, who could only look around and ask, "what happened?"
The Dodgers play-by-play commentators also couldn't believe what they saw:
"That's tough right there. He doesn't get to the bag. What a mistake that was. It's not a ball that you'd normally turn two on. I always kind of whine about the fact that nobody tries to break up a double-play anymore. Well, one time you don't want to try to break up a double play is on that ball. He's nowhere close. That's tough right there ... that's a Hal McCrae imitation back in the 70s right there."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Los Angeles Dodgers' Dalton Rushing is becoming MLB's bad boy, villain
