![]() He was 24-0-in Japan … at the end of the day, we’ve got to judge it off major-league hitters, not the Japanese hitters. Don’t make it like he’s the dirtiest guy in the world. Why don’t you ask Tanaka about me? I’m the one who’s been over here in the major leagues for a while. Tanaka was signed by New York to a hefty seven-year, $155m contract this offseason, a figure that doesn't include the $20m fee paid to his former NPB team. Nine days ago, the outspoken Orioles outfielder Adam Jones took a stab at Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka after he gave up three runs in seven innings during the O's 5-4 victory. ![]() The Dodgers won the game 2-1 and left town tied for first in the National League West with their northern California rivals. Later in the game he made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch after the wind toyed with a fly ball hit by Gregor Blanco. Meanwhile, Puig’s onfield antics continue to make highlights – two plays against the Giants in San Francisco on Thursday were of the vintage we've come to expect from the slugger.īrandon Hicks drove a ball to right field, where the super-casual Puig dropped a routine fly ball – he recovered instantly, picking it up and firing to second base, nailing the runner, Brandon Belt, thanks to his cannon of an arm. I'll bet Yasiel's no different than anybody else out of Cuba. I'm sure it's like all the other guys coming out of there also. The Dodgers have had security travel with the team since Puig joined in June last year – a month which he put up nearly unprecedented offensive numbers for a first-year player, helping the 2013 Dodgers dig out of an awful start. I'm focusing on baseball and I'm giving my best for my team so things go well on the field with the preparation I've had, so those things that are happening don't torment me. Of course, the ramifications of his defection have been part of his life since he first attempted to leave Cuba, in 2011 – it’s just that the world is beginning to learn now about the process in which a world-class ballplayer worth millions of dollars finds his way off the island. Puig however, is doing his best to play on. León was later found dead in Cancun, which has Despaigne concerned he could meet a similar fate. The court documents did not say when the alleged threat took place. "The man pushed me up against my car and pressed a pistol to my liver and told me to tell Puig if he didn't pay them, that they would kill him," said Despaigne. Avoiding the draft ultimately results in a significantly higher salary – Puig signed a seven-year, $42m deal with the Dodgers in June 2012.Īccording to Despaigne, the threat to Puig came during a visit from a messenger sent by a man known as “Leo” who is potentially Yandrys León, “one of the most important capos of the Cuban-American mafia” according to United Press International. That frees him up to be signed as a free agent, rather than being subjected to baseball’s amateur draft, in which high-school and college players are selected. First, becoming a citizen of a country such as Mexico means that a player is no longer Cuban, so he is free from embargo rules that prevent US business dealings with that nation. The original set of traffickers reportedly raised their initial price from $250,000 to $400,000 while holding Puig captive on an island near Cancún, before a second set of traffickers hired by Pacheco allegedly swooped in, wrestled Puig away, and moved him to Mexico City before starting the asylum process.Ĭuban players who attempt to play professional baseball in the US and Canada often claim asylum and then establish residency via a third country. The human traffickers carrying out the plan were allegedly hired by a Miami man named Raul Pacheco, whom Puig supposedly promised 20% of his future earnings. Much of the information comes from a 10-page affidavit from another Cuban, boxer Yunior Despaigne, who helped organize Puig's departure to Mexico on a cigarette boat in 2012.
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