Dodgers' Kemp explains why he ran over Rangers' Chirinos

Matt Kemp had mere seconds to make a choice before bowling over Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos at home plate, which resulted in a bench-clearing shoving match during Wednesday night's game in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers outfielder says he stands by his decision.

"All I could think about coming to the plate was Washington, when I slid in the plate and messed up my ankle. I didn't want to do that again. If I slide right there, I might get hurt," Kemp told reporters after his team's 3-2 win, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.

The moment Kemp was referring to happened in 2013 when the Dodgers played the Nationals in Washington.

Kemp injured his ankle after an awkward slide at the plate and wound up missing 52 regular-season games, as well as the Dodgers' postseason.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)

Despite the MLB's rules regarding collisions at home plate, which were created to protect catchers from injuries, Kemp's decision to run over Chirinos wasn't deemed by Wednesday's umpire crew chief Bill Welke as a violation because the throw brought Chirinos into Kemp's path.