Padres' Kinsler says profanity after bat flip not directed at fans

San Diego Padres second baseman Ian Kinsler was pumped up after hitting a three-run homer on Thursday to put his team ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates for good in an eventual 4-3 win.

He followed the dinger up with a bat flip and a profanity-laced outburst that appeared to include a slew of F-bombs directed at the Padres' hometown faithful.

After the game, Padres manager Andy Green said Kinsler's celebration "was not the right response." However, the veteran denied singling out the fans, saying he was using the language to motivate his teammates.

"It had nothing to do with the fans," Kinsler said, according to Bernie Wilson of The Associated Press. "It’s for my teammates. It’s an inside thing with them. Just trying to get everybody fired up. We had a tough road trip. I’m a passionate player. I try to get my teammates going. That was it."

In 2017, Kinsler came under fire at the World Baseball Classic when he was critical of Dominican and Puerto Rican players for showing emotion on the field.

"I hope kids watching the WBC can watch the way we play the game and appreciate the way we play the game as opposed to the way Puerto Rico plays or the Dominican plays," Kinsler said at the time. "That’s not taking anything away from them. That just wasn’t the way we were raised. They were raised differently and to show emotion and passion when you play. We do show emotion; we do show passion. But we just do it in a different way."

The 36-year-old signed a two-year, $8-million contract with the Padres prior to this season, and his time in San Diego hasn't started well. Kinsler is batting .175/.233/.342 with five home runs and nine RBIs in 37 games.