Logan Webb's hilariously oblivious quote perfectly escalated Giants-Dodgers rivalry

The SF Giants may have lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, but ace Logan Webb won the postgame press conference.

When asked about the at-bat in which he drilled Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing in the ribs with a fastball and whether it had anything to do with Rushing’s viral moment regarding Jung Hoo Lee on Tuesday night, Webb played dumb.

Webb showed off his acting chops by asking, “What thing with Jung Hoo?” Reporter Susan Slusser explained how Rushing was caught on camera saying something disparaging with Lee injured on the play. After that explanation, Webb said, “Didn’t even see that,” all while flashing a knowing grin.

Webb has perfect response to plunking Rushing

Everyone knew Webb’s pitch was intentional. Rushing, the crybaby that he is, knew it which is why he threw a hissy fit after getting plunked and then decided to try for a dirty slide on shortstop Willy Adames. 

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knew it and even seemed to acknowledge after the game that Rushing did say something bad after Lee’s injury at home plate, something that Rushing tried to deny on Wednesday.

Webb is a leader on the Giants so he was certainly sending a message by drilling Rushing. It kind of worked out perfectly for the Giants because they got a double play on the next batter and the Dodgers did not retaliate by hitting anyone on the Giants.

San Francisco seems to be playing with more of edge now, though. After the fracas in Cincinnati last week that involved Spencer Steer cussing at JT Brubaker, Landen Roupp drilling Steer in retaliation, the Reds hitting Willy Adames, and then Erik Miller yelling at Sal Stewart after striking him out to end the game followed by the Rushing business, the Giants are clearly not afraid to retaliate if they feel one of their players was disrespected.

Some may disagree with the approach and it could definitely come back to bite them later on, but at least it shows the team is playing with a lot of fire and tenacity under new manager Tony Vitello. Many thought he would bring a different edge and energy to the group so maybe we are seeing that play out.

The Giants-Dodgers rivalry is always going to matter but with how dominant the Dodgers have been in recent years it has lost a little bit of its edge. Maybe Webb’s retaliation against Rushing can infuse some bitter feelings back into the storied rivalry between the two franchises. 

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