Los Angeles Dodgers: Reliving our favorite Yasiel Puig moments
By Jason Reed
The debut of a lifetime — June 3, 2013
Yasiel Puig came into the major leagues with something to prove. After jumping AAA entirely, the eccentric product of Cuba debuted with a bang on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Puig collected two hits in his first MLB game and served as a jolt of energy for a Dodgers team that was desperately lacking any signs of life. Puig did not stop with two hits, though, as he ended the game with a powerful throw to first base, signaling to the entire league that he had arrived.
That’s grand —June 6, 2013
Yasiel Puig had one of the best first weeks in baseball history that first won him over with the Dodger faithful. In his first eight games in the big leagues, Puig was 16-32 with four home runs and ten RBIs.
Four of those home runs came in the first five games and four of those RBIs came on June 6, when Puig clobbered an opposite-field grand slam in the eighth inning to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead.
The blast even left the legendary Vin Scully speechless. Scully has seen everything you could possibly see on the baseball diamond, showing how special this moment really was.
Walk off blast — July 28, 2013
This is going to be the last one from Puig’s rookie season and there is going to be a pretty big gap between moments. While Puig had a ton of great throws, plays and big hits, we cannot single out every single one and are picking our personal favorites.
This one was perfect for all the right reasons. In the bottom the 11th in a 0-0, Puig absolutely demolished a two-out hanger for his walk-off home run. Not only was this moment great in a vacuum, but it showed how unbelievably hot the Dodgers were after Puig’s arrival.
All in the wrist — May 22, 2014
Like I said, Yasiel Puig has had a ton of big plays and throws throughout the years. It is impossible to ignore this one for how spectacular it was and truly showcased how freakishly athletic Yasiel Puig is.
Puig tracked down a ball deep in the right-center gap that most right fielders wouldn’t have even come close to catching. With a full head of steam, Puig dove, extended and curled his wrist into the grass to make the spectacular grab.
He nearly doubled the runner off at first and probably would have if Adrian Gonzalez did not drop the ball.
Everything with Madison Bumgarner
The feud between Madison Bumgarner and Yasiel Puig truly is hilarious. Time and time again, Bumgarner seemed like the one with the “get off my lawn mentality” and Puig got the ultimate upper hand with his #PuigYourFriend campaign.
I am going to miss the Puig-Bumgarner rivalry. However, you bet I am going to be watching when Bumgarner starts against the Reds.