Wild Horseplay

By: Peyton Schultze

Yasiel Puig had quite an entertaining and interesting run while suiting up for the Dodgers over the past 6 seasons.

On June 3rd, 2013, a young, 22-year old Cuban right fielder made his debut for a struggling Dodger team lacking any type of excitement. The youngster had just been called up from Double-A Chattanooga the previous day, and immediately found himself batting leadoff against the equally-poor Padres on a warm, summer night in the City of Angels. The rookie had an exciting night, with two bloop hits to jumpstart his major league career, yet found himself in the spotlight in the top of the 9th. With a man on first, Padres’ first baseman, Kyle Blanks, found himself up to the plate against Dodgers’ reliever, Brandon League, with the game on the line in a 2-1 Dodgers’ lead. On a 2-0 count, Blanks hit a high fly ball to deep right field which carried and carried and carried. The ball seemed as if it could either reach the stands for a go-ahead home run or land against the wall to set up runners in scoring position with only 1 out. Yet, the right fielder ran to the deep parts of the warning track to make a spectacular running catch. But the play still wasn’t finished. The rookie turned his body in a 180 degree motion and launched a missile all the way to first base, trying to catch the runner on first from trying to be too aggressive. The ball arrived before the runner could and the Dodgers would turn a game ending double play to secure the win with one of the most impressive plays from an outfielder that most will ever see. The excitement was finally back in the Dodgers’ clubhouse after a tumultuous start to the season and the 37,055 fans Dodger Stadium came alive due to the theatrics of the young rookie. The rookie, of course, was none other than Yasiel Puig, the exciting player who played a huge role in the past 6 NL West titles for the Dodgers. After Puig’s first game, the rest was nothing short of fun for fans daily at Chavez Ravine:

And so, Yasiel Puig made a name for himself during his time in Los Angeles while playing for the Boys in Blue. The bat flips. The tongue wagging and licks of the bat. The crotch chops. The kisses with Turner Ward. The constant and intense battles with Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants. The goofy antics on the base paths and in the field. Even the playoff heroics for the Dodgers. No matter what opinions other may have of him, it is very hard to deny the one thing that Puig was able to bring each night for fans: fun. In a time where baseball has been under fire for how fun the sport really is to watch, Puig was a contributor in trying to flip the narrative. Should he have shown up on time more often? Definitely. Should he have slowed down his aggressiveness on the bases? Certainly. Should he have even been able to become a perennial All-Star with his 5 tool talent? Probably. But what Puig brought to Dodger and baseball fans alike was a pure sense of excitement and the unpredictable. As a fan, you were never really sure what you would be getting with Yasiel on a daily basis. And while that may be very irritating and annoying to management and coaches, it sure was fun while it lasted while he suited up for the Dodgers. An odd blend of immature, entertaining, and sometimes even just flat-out strange, Puig was somewhat of a revelation for the game of baseball during his time in LA. And while Puig was rarely ever to replicate his spectacular debut season in 2013, he was certainly among the game’s top superstars while playing in the second largest market in the United State, even sometimes with little on-field success such as in 2015 and 2016.

Puig’s joy and excitement on the field ended up being crucial for the Dodgers’ run at 6 consecutive NL West titles.

Yet Puig also changed throughout his career in Los Angeles. After hitting the lowest point in his MLB career after being demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City in August of 2016, Puig came back as a changed man. By coming back with a new attitude that connected more with teammates and even creating the Wild Horse Foundation with yearly poker tournaments at Dodger Stadium, Puig revitalized his career upon his return in the major leagues. With hitting coach, Turner Ward, helping Puig with his hitting mechanics and helping the right fielder become more of a slugger, Puig hit 28 home runs in 2017 and had some big moments in the 2017 postseason, including a huge home run in the 9th inning of Game 5 of the World Series that helped fuel the Dodgers to tie the game in the top of the inning. While Puig didn’t have as much success in 2018 and essentially becoming a platoon player due to his inability to hit left handers, Yasiel still was able to put on a show when in the lineup. However, Puig was triumphant throughout the 2018 postseason, even more so than in 2017, with some huge hits and a huge 3-run home run in Game 7 of the NLCS. And even with the Dodgers loss at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, Puig was able to have one of the biggest moments of his career on the brightest stage:

In a market that is shared with big name teams like the Lakers and Kings, and the addition of NFL teams like Rams and Chargers during his tenure, Puig was able to make the Dodgers one of the most watchable and exciting teams in Los Angeles and around the league over the past six years. In his tenure alone, Puig had some exciting, and sometimes ridiculous moments, that will live on in Dodger history such as:

A debut week with a 2 home run game, grand slam, and amazing throws in 2013

An All-Star Game and failed Home Run Derby attempt in 2014

Continuously trying to turn a single into a double and often missing cutoff men in crucial moments

Huge home runs in big moments such as the 2017 World Series, 2018 NLCS, and 2018 World Series

Several fights and incidents with Madison Bumgarner and the Giants over his 6 seasons

Some awesome throws from the OF including in his first game and in Colorado in April of 2016

Theatrics such as tongue wagging in Game 1 of the 2017 NLDS and bat licking

Bat flips and fist pumps after huge hits such as in Game 5 of the 2018 NLCS

Ask Don Mattingly or Dave Roberts about the difficulties of how hard it can be to manage Yasiel Puig and they will likely give mixed review. Puig’s Dodger career was a mixed bag full of unpredictable antics and pure fun, which makes his departure difficult and potential necessary at the same time. Yet Puig was someone who made the game fun for Dodgers’ fans and hustled on a daily basis, whether it was for the better of the team or to simply put the spotlight on him. As Puig heads to Cincinnati with the Reds, along with Alex Wood, Matt Kemp, and Kyle Farmer, Dodger fans wish nothing but the best to one of the top contributors over the past six seasons. When Puig returns to Dodger Stadium on April 15th, 2019, expect nothing but applause to one of the true superstars in the league and one of LA’s favorite former sports stars. Thank you for the memories Yasiel Puig, and good luck with your bat-flipping endeavors in Cincinnati.

Yasiel Puig’s departure from the Dodgers is tough, yet he provided many iconic moments over the past 6 seasons to help the Dodgers reach the postseason.