Puig's most memorable moments with the Dodgers
On Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers parted ways with a franchise icon.
Over the seasons, it always felt like Yasiel Puig's tenure in L.A. was moments away from ending, but the outfielder wound up sticking around long enough to become the franchise's all-time leader in postseason games played.
Puig was a polarizing character during his time with the Dodgers. He could be demoted at one moment, and show MVP-caliber flashes the next. Let's take a look back at the plays that best defined Puig's tumultuous but, ultimately, iconic period with the Dodgers:
The debut
By the time Puig made his major-league debut, he was already a bit of a household name for his incredible minor-league prowess and remarkable numbers in the Cuban National Series.
It was Puig's arm that stole the show here, as the 22-year-old absolutely hosed Chris Denorfia to get the putout and outfield assist from the warning track for the game-ending double play. Not many rookies earn curtain calls quite like that.
The catch
While the debut showed off his cannon arm, Puig has made some remarkable catches as well. Not least of which was this grab to keep Rich Hill's perfect game intact.
Of course, Hill went on to be yanked from the contest after that inning, and the bullpen quickly forfeited a hit. However, if the veteran lefty finished off that perfect game bid, Puig's grab would have rightfully been deemed one of the best in baseball history. Instead, it lives on in obscurity as nothing more than a web gem.
The hot hand
So far in his career, Puig has shown an unbelievable propensity for becoming the hottest hitter on the planet out of nowhere. Of course, for Dodgers fans, the fact this level of play was never sustained also contributed to how frustrating he could be.
Down the stretch of the 2018 campaign, Puig had one of the most impressive 24-hour stretches, pummeling the St. Louis Cardinals for five dingers in two games. Puig's polarizing character is even brought up by the broadcast when, at around the 5:50 mark, the FOX Sports commentator remarks: "Puig shows a lot of love after the home runs. I would think, if I were a Puig teammate, I would like him more when he homers than when he doesn't." The color commentator quickly and hilariously jibes back: "It's debatable."
The rival
Perhaps what Dodgers fans will remember the most about Puig, though, is the fact he had a penchant for getting under the skin of their most storied rival, the San Francisco Giants.
The infamous 'Don't Look at Me' brawl between Puig and the intensely unemotional ace Madison Bumgarner best epitomizes the rivalry. More recently, Puig was handed a two-game suspension this past season for getting into a shoving match with Giants catcher Nick Hundley.
The 'Wild Horse'
The thing about Puig is that he's ... odd. The guy is literally known for licking his bat and wagging his tongue after legging out a triple. Just a part of what makes him the 'Wild Horse.'
The Little League walk-off home run
It just feels right that Puig's career highlight reel includes a walk-off home run of the Little League variety. Nobody on the field shows their childlike passion for the sport quite like him.
The World Series homer
Though they wound up losing the World Series, there's arguably no better moment than the home run Puig hit against Eduardo Rodriguez. It looked as though the Fall Classic would be tied 2-2 after the ball was launched into the stands.
It's absolutely crazy that the Boston Red Sox came back to win by scoring nine unanswered runs after the sixth, but that doesn't matter here. The home run caused E-Rod to remove his glove and spike it on the mound, and Puig celebrating in the background could have been one of the most iconic shots in the sport's history.