Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz said Saturday that he does not “feel proud” of the eighth-inning altercation between the Sox and Orioles in Friday’s 10-3 Boston win. After hitting a fly ball, Ortiz went after and took a swing at Baltimore pitcher Kevin Gregg for yelling at the DH to run the bases. While Ortiz figures he will be suspended for the incident, he said he doesn’t feel it was his fault.

“I know MLB is going to take some action about it,” Ortiz said. “It’s something that everybody’s aware of. It all depends on what they’re feeling like doing, but I wasn’t the one that started this. I don’t think I was.”

Ortiz said that Gregg, whose throwing inside on him throughout the at-bat led to a previous argument, provoked him with his actions.

“This is a guy that I always face. He never pitches in, so he threw a whole bunch of pitches inside, and I’m pretty sure he was trying to hit me, no question about that,” Ortiz said of Gregg. “After that, I hit the fly ball and he started screaming at me. I ain’t going to take that like a little [kid]. Everybody’s a grown-[up] man here, and you’ve got to be aware of the situation.”

Following the game, Gregg said he yelled at Ortiz because he wanted him to “play the game right.” In looking back at the situation, Ortiz used Gregg’s own logic against him.

“I respect everybody the same,” Ortiz said. “If you’re getting your [butt] kicked, there’s nothing you can do but play better. You can’t be acting stupid out there just because you’re getting beat up. There’s a reason you’re getting beat up. You’re not playing the game the way it’s supposed to be. Play the game the way it’s supposed to be, and you’re not going to get beat up.

“Don’t be blaming it on , ‘Oh, you guys think you’re better than us,’ and this and that,” Ortiz continued. “I have a lot of friends on that ball club. I don’t like to be going through situations like that. It’s just horrible. It’s not like we’re trying to show up nobody. You play the game. We got our [butts] kicked at the beginning of the season. We don’t blame nobody but us. Then we started figuring things out and played better. Nobody is looking over their shoulders at no one. Play the game right, and you will earn respect.”

Ortiz also didn’t see where Gregg had any grounds to tell him what to do in the batters box.

“When has he been a hitter? When was the last time he swung a bat?” Ortiz asked. “He doesn’t know anything about that. When you start situations, you’ve got to be aware of what is coming up next.”

While the DH said he called O’s reliever Brad Bergesen after hitting him with a line drive, he has no plans of talking to Gregg.

“Why should I? It’s over,” Ortiz said. “I put that behind me.”

As for when suspensions get handed out, manager Terry Francona said the league could notify them following the All-Star break.

“It’s a nice thing for the league, I don’t think they want to be talking about what happened last night,” Francona said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t hear anything until [after the break].”