Yasiel Puig Versus Baseball Tradition

Yasiel Puig showed off his youthful exuberance for the game of baseball last night when he hit a triple off the top of the right field wall last night by flipping his bat while he was still at the plate (because he probably thought he had hit it out) but he still had the speed to make it to third base. He played up to a home crowd when he reached third base as well. Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran was very outspoken about Puig's actions after the game. Puig had been 0 for 11 with 7 strikeouts before he hit the triple. Is it because Puig is a Rookie and hasn't earned the respect of the veteran's in baseball? When Adrian Gonzalez hit the double down the right field line to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, he showed some emotion after he slid into second base. No one has said a word about that. I remember back in the late '70's when Reggie Jackson "earned" the moniker "Mr. October", he thrived on controversy. He showboated, he demanded to be the center of attention, and he thrived in the spotlight whether it was good or bad. I remember the World Series in which Reggie hit the three homeruns and on the last homerun it took him about an hour to round the bases. The play in which he stuck his hip out and deflected the ball when he was caught in the rundown was more controversy. Reggie was revered by the fans and the press alike. It's a good thing ESPN wasn't around back then. Jackson was a 10 year veteran by this time and I think his actions were much worse than Puig's show of enthusiasm. I guess that is the difference between a 10 year veteran and a Rookie.

A Calculated Risk

Pitching Clayton Kershaw on three days was a calculated risk by the Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly. Kershaw had thrown 124 pitches in his Game One win. He did not want the series to go back to Atlanta and Kershaw wanted the ball. He pitched well enough to win (2 unearned runs in six innings with six strikeouts) but he got them deep into the game without having to go too deep into their bullpen. Kershaw only gave up one earned run in 13 innings with 18 strikeouts against the Braves with an ERA of 0.69. The comparisons to Sandy Koufax have been inevitable throughout Kershaw's young career and their is a great pic of Kershaw and koufax embracing in the locker room after the game. Koufax has become a mentor to Kershaw over the past couple of seasons and the friendship has really paid off for the Dodgers.

The Longest Bunt In Dodgers History

Juan Uribe's failure to get a bunt down in the bottom of the eighth inning worked out pretty well for the Dodgers. Uribe's two-run homerun to deep Left Field gave the Dodgers a 4-3. Kenley Jansen closed the door in the top of the ninth inning to clinch the Dodgers 3-1 series win over the Atlanta Braves. Carl Crawford hit two homeruns, giving him three in the four game series, to provide the rest of the Dodgers offense. Clayton Kershaw pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 unearned runs, on only three days rest. Ronald Belisario gave up a run to leave the Dodgers trailing 3-2. Brian Wilson, the Beard, Mohawk and all, got credit for the victory. Yasiel Puig's hustle double on a hard roller down the first base line to lead off the eighth set up Uribe's heroics. Say what you want about Puig but he didn' even slow down on that hit to Right Field. For most anyone else, that would have been a leadoff single or a 9-3 putout at Second Base. The Dodgers take on the Cardinals-pirates winner in the NLCS.

Kershaw Rolls On

The Clayton Kershaw train rolled on in the first game of the NLDS last night in the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves last night. He struck out 12 in 7 innings giving up only one run. Brian Wilson and kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless inning a piece to finish it out for the Dodgers. The Dodgers scored the first 5 runs of the game in the first four innings before the Braves could get on the board. The big blow was a two run bomb to Centerfield by Adrian Gonzalez off Braves starter Kris Medlen in the third inning. Catcher A.J. Ellis had two doubles and a RBI and Hanley Ramirez, Mark Ellis, and Skip Schumaker also drove in runs. There was an article in the USA Today about the electric but sometimes erratic play of Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig yesterday but last night it was all electric. He hustled from first to third on a single to center and he doubled off Braves baserunner Gattis with a catch and throw from Right Field. You cannot doubt Puig's natural ability or his enthusiasm for the game.