Rich Hill Steps Off Mound as 'Silent Gesture' to Let Yuli Gurriel Get Booed

Rich Hill made no secret about why he stepped off the mound as Yuli Gurriel came to the plate.

After the racist gesture he made about Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish in Game 3 of the World Series, it was expected that Yuli Gurriel wouldn't be received well at Dodger Stadium if the Fall Classic made it there.

That much was true as Gurriel stepped into the batter's box to start the second inning on Tuesday. Then Rich Hill delayed his first pitch by stepping off the rubber, allowing Dodger fans to rain boos a little bit longer on the Astros infielder.

No love at #DodgerStadium for #YuliGurriel Hmmm... pic.twitter.com/5om62VLsMa

— Sean M. Byrd (@byrdyman) November 1, 2017

It was a premeditated move on Hill's part, or as he put it to reporters after the Dodgers' 3-1 win in Game 6, a "silent gesture."

Rich Hill on stepping off to let the crowd boo Yuli Gurriel: “That was my silent gesture” to condemn Gurriel’s insult toward Yu Darvish.

— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) November 1, 2017

Fans didn't stop booing until Gurriel ended his plate appearance by popping out to first baseman Cody Bellinger. Gurriel dealt with similar jeers in each of his following at-bats in the game and it's hard to imagine him receiving anything different during Wednesday's Game 7.

MLB Sets Cringeworthy Precedent by Not Suspending Yuli Gurriel During World Series

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred decided against suspending Gurriel during the World Series, delaying it to the first five games of the 2018 season instead. Gurriel apologized for his slant-eyed gesture, and Darvish tweeted his desire to "move forward" from the incident.