Los Angeles Dodgers outfielders Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig exchanged words in the dugout Monday night, and it’s unlikely those were friendly words.
Kemp sought out Puig in the Los Angeles dugout during the Dodgers’ eventual 11-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. From there, it was the veteran outfielder who was doing most of the talking even as most of their teammates were celebrating around them.
Shortly after the “incident,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly pulled Puig and his translator aside to speak with the Cuban-born outfielder. The nature of the conversation didn’t appear too hostile.
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ESPN.com Los Angeles reporter Matt Saxon speculated Monday night that the argument may have stemmed from the fact that Puig didn’t go first to third on an Adrian Gonzalez single before Kemp’s at-bat.
Mattingly wouldn’t reveal any specifics of the disagreement and did his best to downplay the situation.
“Oh, just talking in the dugout, same old things,” Mattingly told reporters, according to ESPN.com. “We’re like the (Oakland) A’s, the ’72 A’s.”
Kemp also declined to specifically discuss the incident.
It’s interesting to note that sources have told Saxon that the Dodgers’ clubhouse is a “dysfunctional” one.
Despite that, the Dodgers still have one of the best records in baseball. Their win over the Rockies was Los Angeles’ third in a row, and they now hold a four-game lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants. L.A.’s magic number to clinch the NL West is now nine.
