Practically overnight, Yasiel Puig has gone from baseball’s favorite phenom to its biggest villain.
During the Dodgers’ recent series with division rival Arizona, pitcher Ian Kennedy said that Puig “plays with arrogance,” while teammate Miguel Montero went a step further, noting that the 22-year-old hasn’t “earned respect” around baseball. And those criticisms of Puig were strictly on-field, and had nothing to do with his arrest for reckless driving while he was still in the minors earlier this season.
Now Puig, and his interpreter, may be in some hot water for his off-field conduct.
After the Dodgers’ 6-1 win over the Rockies at Chavez Ravine on Thursday night — Puig actually left the game in the seventh inning with a hip injury — ESPN’s Pedro Gomez filed a SportsCenter report about the young outfielder. Accord to Gomez, Puig’s interpreter was “reprimanded” for trying to get a woman’s phone number on behalf of Puig at Chase Field.
“Puig’s interpreter was reprimanded by stadium security [in Phoenix] for trying to get a woman’s phone number for Puig,” said Gomez, as recounted by Larry Brown Sports. “Not the first such occurrence a source told ESPN.”
Now, of course, a baseball player trying to get a woman’s phone number is nothing new —Â just ask the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez. However, unlike A-Rod, who was caught flirting during a game, it’s unclear why this behavior was deemed inappropriate on the part of Puig’s interpreter — and, by extension, Puig. If it occurred during a game, then it certainly would be inappropriate. However, Gomez’s report did not make that assertion, specifically.
