On Tuesday, the Dodgers recorded another road win in Cleveland as they went on to defeat the Indians 7-5. Yasiel Puig’s two hits and two RBIs helped give L.A. that extra push to victory, but not before some Indians fans apparently pushed Puig over the edge and he lost his cool. The Dodgers outfielder directed two middle fingers towards some of these fans after hitting a home run in the second inning.
Puig can be seen in replays quickly flipping off some spectators after he’d rounded the bases and was headed for the dugout.
“I reacted that way,” Puig said through his interpreter following the game, pointing out that he was being heckled and provoked. “I stooped to their level.”
“It’s something that came out,” he continued. “There’s really nothing I can do at this point.”
There were about four fans he was directing the gesture towards, whom he explained were talking to him before the home run and continued to hassle him after the home run. Not letting up on him, Puig finally lost his temper. His teammates reportedly got a big kick out of the situation, finding the “whole thing hilarious.”
The Mets weren’t as understanding or entertained by his behavior when they fired one of their employees for making the same gesture towards their fans. The employee portraying the team’s mascot, Mr. Met, was caught on video flipping off fans at Citi Field, and the organization immediately took action.
“We do not condone this type of behavior,” the Mets had said. “We are dealing with this matter internally.”
There hasn’t been a statement from the Dodgers on whether or not they’ll be consequences for his actions, either a fine or suspension, but it’s unlikely they’ll just let it slide. Looking past his behavior, the homer he hit before that was his 10th this season. He’s starting to bounce back from the last two seasons, which were full of injuries and disappointing plate appearances. This also wasn’t the first time he’s lost his temper, since he got sent back to the minors for a time after earning that hot head reputation.
Featured Image via Flickr/DustinNosler
