Yasiel Puig battered and bruised, but still going against Arizona
Maybe he really is the Man of Steel.
Yasiel Puig is having himself an interesting night in his ninth major-league game. If you count bum legs, four-strike outs and getting hit in the nose with a 92 mph Ian Kennedy fastball.
Hearts stopped Tuesday for the Dodgers in the second inning when Puig seemed to come up lame trying to run out a grounder to short. He retreated to the clubhouse with trainer Sue Falsone, but when the top of the third began he sprinted out to right.
In his second at-bat in the fourth inning, the umpires lost the count and he received an extra strike. Despite the protests of the Diamondbacks. Kennedy struck him out anyway, on a fourth strike.
But the Dodger Stadium crowd really had its breath taken away in the sixth when Kennedy hit him with his fastball. The ball sailed right at his head. It was dangerous and scary, as Puig fell to the ground.
He remained there a long time, as trainers tended to him. They kept making sure his nose was all right.
Finally, Puig stood up, put on his helmet and walked to first. Andre Ethier then hit a two-run homer to tie it 2-2.
The Dodgers starter was Zack Greinke, who had his collarbone broken after hitting Carlos Quintin with a pitch in April and being lost for six weeks. No matter, Greinke hit the first Arizona batter with a pitch in the top of the seventh.
The ball struck Miguel Montero in the back. Catcher Tim Federowicz immediately got in front of Montero as he took a few steps toward Greinke, and both benches and bullpens emptied.
There were no punches thrown, just a little finger pointing. Arizona manager Kirk Gibson appeared to want Greinke tossed, but umpire Clint Fagan simply warned both benches.
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