Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing trying to change ‘bad dude’ rap: ‘Don’t want to create an image like that’

ST. LOUIS — You won’t find anyone with the Dodgers who thinks Dalton Rushing is a bad guy. But that doesn’t mean the second-year slugger wants to be saddled publicly with a bad rap.

Throughout his career, Rushing has always tried to play with a smoldering competitive fire. He has never shied away from the fact he carries a competitive edge. The Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing has produced on the field, but some of his heated in-game interactions have rubbed some the wrong way.

AP “I played football half my life,” the Dodgers’ backup catcher said. “So I compete a little differently, I click a little differently. ” Lately, however, a string of heated in-game interactions that have gone viral on social media — and, in one instance, drawn public criticism from an opposing player — have forced the 25-year-old to take a step back and make a renewed effort to keep his emotions in check.

“You never want to be viewed as a guy like that from opposing teams,” Rushing told The California Post on Saturday. “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.