HOUSTON -- Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel said Saturday he completed the sensitivity training that was required by Major League Baseball after making an offensive gesture directed toward Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish in the World Series.
Gurriel, who will be suspended for the first five games of the regular season and was fined an undisclosed amount, said during the team's annual FanFest at Minute Maid Park he completed a seven-to-eight-hour session at his home in Miami three days ago.
"It went really well," Gurriel said through an interpreter. "I learned a lot. There was a lot of things I didn't know when I came to this country, and I think sensitivity training was really beneficial in a lot of different areas, just helping me acclimate to life in the U.S. It was really beneficial."
Darvish, who allowed nine runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings over two starts against the Astros in the World Series, is a free agent and met with the Astros in recent weeks to discuss possibly signing with the team. The Astros are believed to be one of at least six potential landing spots for Darvish.
"Everyone knows what a great pitcher Yu Darvish is," said Gurriel, a Cuban native who came to the U.S. in 2016. "I would be happy to have him here. He would make us stronger."