Typically a harbinger of all things joyful and good, Yasiel Puig took an angry turn during the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Monday night.
After a resurgent return from the disabled list, the Dodgers outfielder struck out three times in four at-bats, with his final go at the dish ending in frustration and a shattered bat.
After going down swinging with two men on base in the eighth, Puig turned from the plate and snapped his bat over his knee.
Puig would quickly add to the carnage, according to the Associated Press (h/t FoxSports.com), by tossing the broken bat and shattering a light in the tunnel behind the Dodgers dugout.
After the game, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Puig‘s bat-snapping was an understandable but dangerous way to metabolize a rough night at the dish.
“I think anyone, obviously, in a big situation, you want to get a hit. He didn’t and he reacted,” Mattingly said. “I’d probably rather see a bat flip than a bat break. I don’t want anyone to injure themselves. That’s the only thing I worry about when slamming helmets or slamming bats.”
Puig‘s woes derailed his hot streak.
Prior to Monday night, he was hitting .481 and had knocked a homer and three doubles in his past seven games. Puig will look to bounce back Tuesday night against probable Rangers starter Chi Chi Gonzalez.
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