Yasiel Puig apologizes for not running out comebacker: ‘That’s not going to happen again’

We’re used to seeing Yasiel Puig’s name in headlines for what he does on the base path, but Saturday night, it was what he didn’t do that’s noteworthy.

With one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, down 1-0 against the Minnesota Twins, the Cleveland Indians outfielder hit a first-pitch ground ball directly back to pitcher Jake Odorizzi.

Odorizzi started to run the ball to first, but about halfway there, realized he needn’t rush: Puig had yet to leave the batter’s box. In fact, he had already turned around and started back toward the dugout – it was confusing to both Odorizzi and fans in attendance alike (reports from the stadium say Puig was booed).

Could the people who turn molehills into mountains please contact me- I could use their services in my life outside this site….

Indians OF Puig becomes American citizen

Cleveland Indians outfielder Yasiel Puig, who defected from Cuba in 2012, became an American citizen on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old posted a photo on Twitter with the message: “Thank you God for this great opportunity to be an American citizen.”

Puig’s journey to the United States was long, dangerous and complicated. A star on the Cuban national team, he made four attempts to defect from Cuba before being successfully transported out of the country by an alien-smuggling-and-boat-theft ring with links to the Mexican cartel Los Zetas. He subsequently faced death threats and extortion attempts as a result of his escape.

The Outfielder Who Went On Suspension And Came Back A Citizen wasn’t a bad Hugh Grant vehicle, but it was a strange one….

Yasiel Puig shows he’s still Yasiel Puig with a wave and a kiss on the basepaths

Yasiel Puig might be on his third team in the last calendar year, but he’s still Yasiel Puig. That identity was in full view as the Cleveland Indians outfielder ran the bases on Friday in an American League Central showdown.

After singling to lead off the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins, Puig ran all the way to third on a throwing error from Twins pitcher Randy Dobnak. For those not paying close attention, it was a standard advancement off an error.

Those focusing on the runner, however, got a pair of those quintessential Puig moments. As he ran past second, the Wild Horse waved goodbye to the Twins defenders in right field.

After he slid safely into third, Puig only got up after blowing a kiss to the home crowd.

Do you suppose he regrets not making Marty Brennaman’s head explode while he still had the chance?

Madison Bumgarner And Yasiel Puig Are Making Their Long-Distance Hatred For One Another Still Work

It hasn’t been easy for Madison Bumgarner and Yasiel Puig to continue hating each other as fiercely as they once did now that Puig has moved away to the Midwest. The former in-state proximity between the two players allowed them to share an angry bond built on bat-flipping and batter-beaning. With Puig in Cincinnati, it wasn’t clear if they were going to be able to keep that intensity going. But on Sunday, the two showed that there were still was some sparks left in their feuding relationship.

It started on Puig’s end in the top of the sixth inning. With nobody on and nobody out, Puig smoked a 92-mph fastball from Bumgarner into the left-field seats. Knowing what he had just done, the Red decided to take some time to admire that handiwork on his long-time nemesis and threw his bat once he got done looking at the dinger.

For those of you who like a good feud….

Yasiel Puig turns brawl picture into work of art with excellent custom shirt

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig used to be known as the “Wild Horse” with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It didn’t take him long to find a new persona with the Reds.

After seemingly taking on the entire Pittsburgh Pirates team in a brawl in early April, Puig might be angling to be known as “El Guerrero Rojo,” or The Red Warrior, from now on.

How do we know this? Puig sent a pretty clear message with this excellent, custom shirt.

Some people run from their reputations, and others try to pretend that they don’t exist- Puig, on the other hand, chooses to lean right into it…

Yasiel Puig’s ‘complicated legacy’ in Los Angeles

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times has written the story I think everyone knew was going to come out sooner or later: the “now that Yasiel Puig is gone, what did the Dodgers really think of him?” story. And you know what? It’s a good, even-handed story and not the hit job that other, say, more senior columnist types at the Times might have done if they were given the assignment. Thank goodness.

Unlike a lot of past coverage which has sought to cast Puig as some malevolent force in the Dodgers clubhouse, the picture that comes away from this story is that Puig was more of a frustration than a team cancer. Indeed, Dodgers people — players, coaches and managers — generally liked Puig and still like him. They knew and accepted that he is just wired differently than most players, and understood, more or less, why he was wired differently. But they were quite often frustrated by him. Less frustrated on a personal basis than frustrated by his failure to take full advantage of his potential. His failure to take coaching advice, particularly when it comes to defense. His stubbornness and belief in his physical skills and resistance to playing smarter rather than simply playing harder which, on some level, doesn’t always cut it.

LEADING OFF: Red Sox get rings, Puig gets new nickname

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:

BOSTON BASH

The Red Sox are set to receive their 2018 World Series rings ahead of their home opener at Fenway Park. Boston plans to unveil a championship banner, and ceremonies will include a flyover by four F-16 jets prior to the first pitch. The club will sport gold-trimmed hats and jerseys, as well. One member of last year’s team who won’t attend is Craig Kimbrel. The All-Star closer and current free agent declined an invitation.

The 2019 season hasn’t been quite so sparkling. Boston returns from a season-opening West Coast swing 3-8, and the starting pitching has been especially suspect. Chris Sale (0-2, 8.00 ERA) faces Toronto in the home opener. His fastball has averaged 90.7 mph over his first two outings, down from 95.4 mph last season.

Just one story of several here, for your dining and dancing pleasure.

Yasiel Puig Tried To Fight All Of Pittsburgh After Pirates Pitcher Chris Archer Threw Behind Derek Dietrich

Having been traded to an entirely new division in the offseason, Yasiel Puig needed to find a new rival to brawl with now that the trips to San Francisco would be far and few between. Luckily for him, the Pittsburgh Pirates gave him an excuse on Sunday to throw hands against what seemed like the entire roster.

The brawl kicked off in the top of the fourth when Pirates pitcher Chris Archer intentionally threw behind Cincinnati’s Derek Dietrich. Dietrich’s crime? Staring at a home run he hit in the top of the second a little too long for Archer’s liking.

Rather than using the experience to realize he should throw fewer bad pitches, Archer retaliated the only way an overly sensitive pitcher knew how and forced both benches to clear.

Yasiel Puig: Fighting Round The World!

Bill Plaschke is very, very happy that Yasiel Puig is gone

When Yasiel Puig was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds, one of the first people I thought of was Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke. I didn’t just think, though. I worried. I worried what Plaschke would do now that he was being deprived of one of his favorite punching bags.

And make no mistake: Plaschke hated Puig. Hated him with the heat of a thousand suns. He hated him so much that he became unhinged at times.

We’ve chronicled it before. He hated Puig’s bat flips and swagger. He hit him way, way harder for base running mistakes and missing the cutoff man than he’d ever hit anyone else, attributing such things to Puig’s inherent lack of character. When an opposing pitcher got crappy and chippy with Puig, it was somehow Puig’s fault (of course when other players do it, it’s fine). And no, Puig’s horrible, destructive nature was not limited to what he did on the baseball field. According to Plaschke Puig’s own personal history put Dodgers fans’ lives at risk.

Sincere question, for those who know:

How, in this world where the press (and, increasingly, not just the printed press, either) is in such a terrible shape, has Plaschke not ended up dancing for nickles under the pier?