Puig's splash leaves positive wake in LA clubhouse
LOS ANGELES -- In just two games, outfielder Yasiel Puig has already brought a renewed energy to the Dodgers' clubhouse and to Dodger Stadium.
Puig capped his Major League debut on Monday by throwing a dart from the warning track in right field to first base, doubling off the Padres' Chris Denorfia to preserve a 2-1 win. On Tuesday, he went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and five RBIs to rally the Dodgers for a 9-7 victory.
"It's hard not to be impressed," manager Don Mattingly said.
Puig's throw to end Monday's game earned him his first Major League curtain call. He had two more Tuesday following each of his homers.
"I feel very happy that the fans are here to cheer me on," Puig said on Wednesday through an interpreter. "Obviously they're very happy that the team is winning. I'm very happy to be here in L.A."
The Dodgers are happy to have Puig, too.
Puig is the second player in Major League history with a two-homer, five-RBI performance within the first two games of his career. The only other time that happened was in 1949, when Dino Restelli accomplished the feat with the Pirates.
The records don't end there.
Puig is the first Dodgers player with a multihomer game in his first two games, the first with five RBIs in one of his first two games since Spider Jorgensen had six in 1947 and the first with multihit games in the first two games of his career since Larry Miller in 1964.
So what's next?
"I don't know what's going to happen," Puig said. "I just need to go out there and do my best. I can't predict the future. You've got to give your best every day."
Puig does give his best every day, that's evident in the way he plays the game.
"He plays with such joy and that's really what we love," Mattingly said. "He's definitely brought some energy, but you don't just bring energy unless you go produce and I think that's what we've seen. You're not going to spark any body if you go out and go 0-for-4, but he's not doing that. By producing, he creates energy."