Yasiel Puig returned to Dodger Stadium for the first time as a visiting player on Monday, and he would have been the recipient of a nice gift prior to first pitch had he shown up on time. The Cincinnati Reds slugger was late to the ballpark, however, and now we know why.
According to a report from TMZ, Puig and some friends went to lunch in Beverly Hills and scoped out a few stores hours before the Dodgers-Reds game. Puig was supposed to be at Dodger Stadium for a media event at 3:00 pm followed by an informal ceremony where he and some other Reds teammates who used to play for LA got their NLCS championship rings, but he showed up more than an hour late.
Yasiel Puig was late to Dodger stadium … because he was SHOPPING!!! pic.twitter.com/MwKwV8iAHI
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) April 16, 2019
Showing up late didn’t affect Puig’s level of focus, as he hit a two-run home run off Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in the first inning. When asked about not meeting with LA manager Dave Roberts to get his NLCS ring, Puig did not express regret.
“He can send the ring to my locker or give it to me at batting practice. He can give it to me in person, I don’t care,” he said, via The Associated Press.
Puig said before the game that he was eager to beat his old teammates, but the Reds lost 4-3. Dodgers fans know all about Puig showing up late to the ballpark, so it was probably nice for them to see that some things never change.
