KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After throwing seven scoreless innings to help the Royals take Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday, starter Yordano Ventura draped himself in a Dominican flag on the field and in the dugout after the game. Ventura brought the flag with him to the media room after the game, where he reiterated that his efforts on the mound were dedicated to his late countryman and friend Oscar Taveras.

Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura heads to locker room with the Dominican Republic flag after win #Royals #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/cmiqlM6vZS — The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) October 29, 2014

But one low-ranking member of the Royals’ organization seemed to object to Ventura’s national pride. Minor leaguer Zebulon Sneed, whose Twitter profile describes him as a “Hard Core American” who “Loves Jesus,” reminded the young Ventura that he is playing in a foreign country away from his homeland where his friend died suddenly on Sunday:

Get that Dominican flag off your back Ventura, this is america! #america #royals — Sneeder (@zeb_sneed) October 29, 2014

Several patriotic retweets and one photo of Ronald Reagan later, Sneed apparently thought better of his criticism and apologized for expressing his “patriot mindset” in a public forum.

I sincerely apologize if my tweet last night came off as racist. I support Ventura honoring Oscar, and I simply didn't think of the — Sneeder (@zeb_sneed) October 29, 2014

ramifications of a statement I made from a patriot mindset. I will be more considerate of my wording in the future. — Sneeder (@zeb_sneed) October 29, 2014

Ventura’s sterling outing in Game 6 put the Royals one game away from winning their first World Series in 29 years. Sneed, who is two and a half months older than Ventura, spent the 2014 season pitching in relief for Class A Advanced Wilmington in the Carolina League and has a 4.96 ERA over three Minor League campaigns.

(Thanks to Hardball Talk for calling our attention to these tweets.)