Yu Darvish says he isn't angry toward Yuli Gurriel, calling it a learning experience for Gurriel and adding that no one is perfect. (2:04) 
 
 HOUSTON -- Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel faces potential discipline from Major League Baseball for making a racially insensitive gesture Friday night during Game 3 of the World Series. 
 
 After hitting a home run in the second inning off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, Gurriel returned to the Astros dugout, where he used his fingers to motion at his own eyes in a mocking gesture and appeared to mouth a derogatory term in Spanish. 
 
 In a statement, an MLB spokesman said: "We are aware of the situation and the Commissioner intends to speak with the player tomorrow." 
 
 Speaking through an interpreter after the game, Gurriel said he made the gesture because he hasn't had success in the past against Japanese pitchers. In particular, he was 1-for-7 with one strikeout this season against Darvish. 
 
 "I did not mean it to be offensive at any point," Gurriel said. "Quite the opposite. I have always had a lot of respect [for Japanese people]. ... I've never had anything against Darvish. For me, he's always been one of the best pitchers. I never had any luck against him. If I offended him, I apologize. It was not my intention." 
 
 The 33-year-old Gurriel is a native of Cuba who played for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars of the Japanese Central League in 2014. Darvish is of Japanese and Iranian descent. 
 
 Gurriel said it's common in Cuba to use the word "chinito" to describe someone of Asian heritage, although he admitted he realizes it's considered offensive in Japan. 
 
 Darvish, also speaking through an interpreter, called the gesture and the word "disrespectful." 
 
 "I feel like, of course, Houston has Asian fans and Japanese fans, and Asian fans live all over the place," Darvish said. "And acting like that, it's just disrespectful to people around the world, to the Houston organization. It's not OK. 
 
 "Including him and I, nobody's perfect. Everybody's different. We've just got to learn from it. He made a mistake, and we've just got to learn from it. We are all human beings. It's just learn from it, and we've got to move forward." 
 
 Astros manager A.J. Hinch described Gurriel as "remorseful." Most Astros players said they weren't aware that Gurriel had made a gesture or that they hadn't seen it. 
 
 Dodgers outfielder Enrique Hernandez described the situation as "disappointing." 
 
 "It's just unfortunate that he did that right after the homer and not thinking the cameras were on him," Hernandez said. "I'll let the league handle [potential discipline]. I'm not the right guy to handle that one." 
 
 A source in the Dodgers organization said the team is "very upset" about the situation, "especially in these times in this environment." 
 
 Darvish later tweeted a statement, saying people should put effort into "learning rather than to accuse [Gurriel]." 
 
 "If we can take something from this, that is a giant step for mankind," Darvish wrote. "Since we are living in such a wonderful world, let's stay positive and move forward instead of focusing on anger. I'm counting on everyone's big love." 
 
 Darvish played professionally in Japan from 2005 to 2011 before joining the Texas Rangers in 2012. He was traded to the Dodgers at this year's July 31 trade deadline. 
 
 The Astros lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Saturday at Minute Maid Park. 
 
 ESPN's Marly Rivera and Ramona Shelburne contributed to this report. ||||| CLOSE Yu Darvish was hit early and often and the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series. USA TODAY Sports 
 
 Yuli Gurriel rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the second inning. (Photo: Thomas Shea, USA TODAY Sports) 
 
 HOUSTON – The World Series was roiled by a race-related incident in Friday night’s Game 3 when Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel made a racist gesture in the wake of hitting a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yu Darvish. 
 
 TV cameras caught Gurriel, a Cuban, making a slant-eyed gesture and laughing after his home run off Darvish kick-started a four-run second inning. 
 
 Gurriel apologized afterward, saying he did not mean to offend Darvish, a native of Japan. 
 
 MORE FROM GAME 3 
 
 “Yesterday I was commenting that I’d never had any success against Darvish, and the gesture was saying that I wish he would look at me like one of them and maybe he’d throw me an easy pitch so I can do something,’’ said Gurriel, who was 1-for-7 in his career against Darvish before the home run. “At no point did I mean that in an offensive way. On the contrary, I’ve always had a lot of respect for them.’’ 
 
 Gurriel, who had a successful stint in the Japanese league in 2014 before defecting from Cuba and signing with the Astros in July 2016, also acknowledged using the word “chinito’’ – little Chinese guy – in the dugout in reference to Darvish. 
 
 “In Cuba and in other places, we call all Asian people Chinese,’’ Gurriel said. “But I played in Japan and I know they find that offensive, so I apologize for that. I know they don’t like it.’’ 
 
 Darvish, the Japanese right-hander in his sixth major league season, said after the game that he'd seen a replay of the sequence and said he was “disappointed” in Gurriel’s gesture. 
 
 "Acting like that…is disrespectful to people around the world," Darvish said through his interpreter after the Astros' 5-3 victory in Game 3. "I try not to care much about it, but he played in Japan and I have a lot of respect for him, so I try not to think about it too much against him." 
 
 Darvish seemed subdued, but forgiving of Gurriel's gesture. 
 
 "Nobody’s perfect. And everybody’s different," he says. " And we’re going to have to learn from it. We are all human beings. That’s what I’m saying. We’ll learn from it and we have to go forward." 
 
 Dodgers teammate Kike Hernandez said he talked to Darvish about the incident and said Darvish was "extremely disappointed, as expected." Earlier this season, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar was suspended three games for directing a homophobic slur toward an opponent. It's not likely such a punishment would be adjudicated between Major League Baseball and the union during the World Series, but MLB has shown a greater intolerance for hateful speech. 
 
 "I'll let the league handle that one," said Hernandez, a native of Puerto Rico. "All I can say it’s disappointing to me. It’s just unfortunate that he did that right after that and not thinking that the cameras were on him. 
 
 "I’m sure (Darvish) is (stung). If it was meant toward Puerto Ricans, I’d be really disappointed. If he is really mad inside and didn't say much, I’m really proud of him for handling it the right way and remaining professional." 
 
 MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to meet with Gurriel before Saturday's game. 
 
 Gallery: Best of the 2017 World Series ||||| CLOSE Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel tipped his hat to Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish as an apology for using a racial slur towards Darvish earlier in the series. Time 
 
 Astros' Yuli Gurriel tips his hat as he gestures to Dodgers starting pitcher Yu Darvish. (Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sport) 
 
 LOS ANGELES – The crowd at Dodger Stadium booed long and loud when Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel came up to the plate in the first inning of Wednesday’s Game 7 of the World Series, much like fans did in every one of his at-bats Tuesday. 
 
 And just like Rich Hill had done in Game 6, Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yu Darvish took his time stepping on the rubber, letting the jeering prolong and sink in. The Japan-born Darvish, after all, had been the subject of the slanted-eyes gesture Gurriel made after homering off him in Game 3, and he had every reason to be insulted. 
 
 MORE FROM GAME 7 
 
 Then Gurriel did something unexpected, especially for someone getting bombarded with such scorn: He took his helmet off and tipped it in Darvish’s direction, in a clear sign of apology. 
 
 “I feel spiritually happy," said Gurriel after the game. "It just so happened that we met on the field this time and I felt like I had to salute him because from the very beginning he acted like a gentleman. He never said a mean word about me, and he could have. 
 
 "Everybody who knows me and knows where I come from knows it was never my intention to offend him, much less on a baseball field, and even less so a Japanese player. I had the opportunity to play a season in Japan and I know the human quality they have.” 
 
 Gurriel had been contrite since learning the gesture was caught on camera, leading to Commissioner Rob Manfred suspending him for five games at the start of next season. Gurriel had expressed a desire to apologize personally to Darvish, whose conciliatory response was a factor in Manfred opting not to banish the Cuban native during the World Series. 
 
 But it’s not known whether the players had met or exchanged any communication before Wednesday’s winner-take-all game. Regardless, Gurriel found a way to deliver his message in a uniquely baseball fashion. 
 
 Once that was done, they went on about the business of playing the game, and Gurriel put on remarkable display of concentration as he battled Darvish for 13 pitches before flying out to right field. 
 
 Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Wednesday he’d never heard the kind of sustained, loud booing that was directed at Gurriel the previous night, adding that the 33-year-old rookie was holding up fairly well under the circumstances. 
 
 “He's still sorry. He's still regretful. He's still remorseful,’’ Hinch said. “He's still got a penalty to pay. Sports will bring out a lot of emotions. So he'll show up ready to play tonight and, again, we'll try to rectify what happened over time.’’ 
 
 Gallery: Best of the 2017 World Series
– Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros hit a home run in the second inning off Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish Friday night, giving him reason to celebrate in the dugout afterward. But Gurriel is now apologizing after cameras caught him taking things too far. The Cuban native can be seen making a slant-eyed gesture in regard to Darvish, who is from Japan. He also acknowledged using the word "chinto," meaning "little Chinese guy," reports USA Today. "At no point did I mean that in an offensive way," he said through an interpreter afterward. “Yesterday I was commenting that I’d never had any success against Darvish, and the gesture was saying that I wish he would look at me like one of them and maybe he’d throw me an easy pitch so I can do something." Darvish, for his part, called the gesture "disrespectful," but wasn't making a big deal about it. "I have a lot of respect for him," he said of Gurriel, who played for a while in Japan, "so I try not to think about it too much against him." Later, the pitcher tweeted: "Since we are living in such a wonderful world, let's stay positive and move forward instead of focusing on anger. I'm counting on everyone's big love." Gurriel could face league discipline, though it was unclear whether that might mean missing a World Series game. "We are aware of the situation and the commissioner intends to speak with the player," says a league spokesperson, per ESPN. The Astros won the game to take a 2-1 lead in the series.