Yasiel Puig ready for the bright lights, big cities of the World Series
By Tab Bamford
As Yasiel Puig pumped his fists and screamed in the direction of the visitors dugout on the opposite side of the diamond, the crowd at Miller Park showered him with boos Saturday night.
Puig had just hit arguably the biggest home run in his career, a three-run blast off Brewers reliever Jeremy Jeffress. The two-strike, two-out line drive to center field gave the Dodgers a 5-1 lead they would not relinquish.
As he crossed home plate, the visitors were lit. Half the team met Puig before he could get back in the dugout. It was clear that, at the biggest moment, Puig had put his stamp on a Dodgers victory.
Bold Predictions
Throughout the postseason Puig has been making bold predictions. Before Game 163 at Dodger Stadium against the Rockies he said this postseason was World Series or bust. He then called out nearly every team in the National League playoffs by name, saying the Dodgers would roll through anyone in their path to a second straight Fall Classic.
After dispatching Atlanta in the Division Series, Puig again put the Dodgers’ opponents on notice. They weren’t done yet, and neither were Puig’s predictions.
The Dodgers lost Game 7 of the World Series one year ago against the Astros at Dodger Stadium, and Puig wanted another shot at a ring.
However, after the Dodgers won Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, Puig wasn’t talking.
Every camera that entered the clubhouse after the game looked for him. No player on the Dodgers – indeed, in the entire playoffs – was a better soundbite or source for potentially viral video than Puig. And as every reporter approached with a microphone extended towards the 27-year-old Cuban outfielder, his response was clear.
“No interviews tonight.”
If a reporter pressed for a comment, Puig showered them with Champagne or Budweiser, whichever was more readily accessible. He wasn’t making any bold predictions after winning the NL pennant. Puig was celebrating with his teammates.
Coming Through
Puig was a huge reason the Dodgers were in a situation to spray each other, their coaches and front office staff and the media with booze again on Saturday night.
While Cody Bellinger took home Most Valuable Player honors for the series, Puig was the most impactful bat in the Dodgers lineup in the NLCS. He had four extra-base hits (three doubles and one homer). No other Dodger had more than two. Puig and Bellinger finished tied for the Dodger lead with four runs batted in during the seven-game series. Only Chris Taylor had a higher batting average than Puig (.333) in the series.
But the blow that broke Milwaukee’s back, Puig’s three-run homer, is the hit that will be remembered most.
That is, until he comes up in a big spot in the World Series next week.
Almost gone
Early in the 2016 season the Puig story was in a vastly different place than it is today. The Dodgers demoted Puig to Triple-A after they couldn’t trade him. And they almost did – ironically, one proposed deal involved the Brewers and outfielder Ryan Braun.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has admitted since that the front office had lost patience with Puig.
Puig returned to being an everyday player for the Dodgers in 2017 and set career highs with 28 home runs and 74 runs batted in. He was a critical part of a run to the World Series last year and was an impact bat in the postseason again this year.
When he started Game 6 of the NLCS, Puig became the Dodgers franchise’s all-time leader in postseason games played. His home run and double Saturday night give him 13 career postseason extra-base hits, which is tied with Ron Cey for the fourth-highest total in Dodgers franchise history.
Cey, of course, was one of three Dodgers who shared the 1981 World Series MVP award. Cey shared that award with Steve Yeager and Pedro Guerrero.
Seven years after Cey’s Dodgers won the championship the World Series was won by Los
Angeles again. But it has been 30 years since the Dodgers have won a title.
Only one Cuban has ever been named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series: Liván Hernández with the Marlins in 1997.
Puig has a chance to change both of those histories as he continues to rewrite the Dodgers’ record books.
Featured Image: Stacy Revere / Getty Images Sport