Ian Kinsler might not be over it.
After being traded from the Texas Rangers to the Detroit Tigers for Prince Fielder during the offseason, the second baseman ruffled some feathers when he directed some harsh comments toward his former team in an ESPN the Magazine profile. In the piece, Kinsler said he hoped the Rangers would go 0-162 this season, and although he later claimed he was joking, it appears there’s still some animosity lingering.
On Tuesday night, Kinsler made his return to Globe Life Park in Arlington, where he played the first eight years of his career, and he made sure it was a memorable one. Kinsler launched a home run off Colby Lewis during the first inning of the Tigers’ 8-2 win, but it was his actions after the blast that raised some eyebrows.
Kinsler gave a little wave to his former teammates in the Texas dugout during his home run trot and then proceeded to crack a huge smile as he rounded the bases.
[mlbvideo id=”33996479″ width=”640″ height=”360″ /]
The Rangers weren’t impressed with Kinsler’s antics, and while the dugout didn’t react, Lewis expressed his disappointment in his ex-teammate after the game.
“I know him and I enjoyed playing with him, but I guess ‘disappointed’ is the best word to describe it,” Lewis said, via MLive.com. “Maybe it’s how he feels about how things ended up here and that’s his opinion.”
Kinsler downplayed the gesture, though, saying he meant no harm by it and simply was pumped about his homecoming.
“It was nothing personal at all. I was just saying ‘Hi,’ ” Kinsler said, insisting he was motioning to no one in particular. “I mean, it was my return home, and get lucky enough to square one up like that and have it go over the fence, it was a good feeling. I was just having fun.”
No one said breakups weren’t messy.
