Press Release Major League Baseball
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie outfielder Yasiel Puig, who enjoyed an historic debut week, has been named National League Player of the Week for the period ending June 9th. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network. In his first week in the Major Leagues, Puig led baseball with 27 total bases and was tied for the Major League lead with four home runs. His .964 slugging percentage was second-best in the Majors and was the top mark among National Leaguers. The 22-year-old native of Cienfuegos, Cuba also ranked among league leaders with a .464 (13-for-28) batting average (2nd), 10 RBI (3rd), 13 hits (3rd), and a .483 onbase percentage (7th). Puig had multi-hit efforts in five of his seven games during the week.
Puig made his Major League debut on Monday, June 3rd, going 2-for-4 in the Dodgers leadoff slot while recording his first outfield assist in game-ending fashion, doubling-up San Diego’s Chris Denorfia at first base with a throw from deep right field to preserve a 2-1 victory. Puig became the first Dodger to record a multi-hit performance in his first big league game since Russell Martin went 2-for-4 in his debut on May 5, 2006. On Tuesday, Puig went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and five RBI in his second Major League contest, leading the Dodgers to a 9-7 win over the visiting Padres. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Puig joined Dino Restelli as the only players in Major League history to have recorded a two-homer, five-RBI game within the first two games of his career. Restelli accomplished the feat on June 15, 1949 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On Thursday, Puig went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI on the way to a 5-0 victory in the first game of a four-game set with the N.L. East-leading Atlanta Braves. The young phenom clubbed his first career grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving the Dodger bullpen a five-run cushion as they closed out a 7.0-inning scoreless performance by starter Zack Greinke. In Friday’s matchup between the two clubs, Puig’s game-tying solo homer in the sixth inning was the only run the Dodgers scored off Braves starter Paul Maholm in an eventual 2-1 extra-inning victory for Los Angeles. With the homer, Puig became just the second player since 1900 to hit four home runs in his first five games, joining Mike Jacobs of the 2005 New York Mets (Elias Sports Bureau). The solo shot gave Puig 10 RBI through his first five career games, tying a Major League record (also: Washington’s Danny Espinosa in 2010 and Pittsburgh’s Jack Merson in 1951). With his first Player of the Week honor, Puig becomes the first rookie to win for his debut week since Baltimore’s Manny Machado (A.L.) (August 6-12, 2012). In addition, he is the first Dodger rookie to win the award since Andre Ethier (July 3-9, 2006).
Other noteworthy performances last week included Carlos Beltran (.333, 2 HR, 8 RBI), Matt Carpenter (.455, 15 H, HR, 5 RBI, .526 OBP) and Matt Holliday (.407, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .778 SLG) of the St. Louis Cardinals; San Diego’s Kyle Blanks (.407, 11 H, 3 HR, 7 RBI, .852 SLG) and Everth Cabrera (.485, 16 H, 8 SB, .514 OBP); Atlanta’s Jason Heyward (.414, 12 H, HR, 5 R, .469 OBP) and Kris Medlen (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 SO, 13.2 IP, hit a home run on 6/8); and Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki (.429, 12 H, 4 HR, 8 RBI, .929 SLG).
New York Yankees center fielder Brett Gardner has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending June 9th. The announcement was made earlier today on the MLB Network. Gardner batted .520 (13-for-25) with five doubles, one home run, six RBI and five runs scored in seven games to lead the Yankees to a 6-1 record and lay claim to his first career weekly honor. Among Major League leaders for the period, Brett was tied for first in doubles, was second in batting average and was third in on-base percentage (.556). In the Junior Circuit, he was tied for first in base hits, was second in total bases (21) and was tied for sixth in RBI.
On Monday against the Cleveland Indians, the 29-year-old broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run single in the sixth inning to help lead the Yanks to a series-opening 7-4 victory over the Tribe at Yankee Stadium. Gardner’s effort backed starting pitcher CC Sabathia, who struck out nine against his former club in his first complete game of the season. Two days later, the North Carolina native launched a three-run homer, his sixth blast of the season, with a sacrifice fly as the Bronx Bombers defeated the Indians, 6-4, to finish off a threegame sweep. Gardner’s three RBI were a season high for the speedster, and it marked the second time this season (and in his career)that he homered and had a sacrifice fly in the same game. Brett is the only Major Leaguer with more than one such game in 2013.
On June 8th in Seattle, the College of Charleston product went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run scored in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Gardner combined with Jason Nix (2-for-4, 2 RBI) to provide the Yankees with a much-needed insurance run in the seventh inning as the Yankees’ third-round pick in the 2005 Draft roped a one-out double before coming around to score on a Nix single to give New York its third and final run of the game. In the series finale with the Mariners on Sunday, the sixthyear veteran tied a season best with four hits, including a double, a run-scoring single and a stolen base as the Yankees edged Seattle, 2-1. Gardner is in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, and has hit safely in 15 of his past 17 games since May 24th, batting .365 (23-for-63) with six doubles, a triple, three homers, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and five walks during the span.
Other noteworthy performances included Gardner’s Yankee teammates Sabathia (1-0, 1 CG, 9 SO) and Mariano Rivera (4 G, 4 SV, 6 SO); Mike Carp (.500, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1.125 SLG), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.412, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 1.059 SLG) and David Ortiz (5 extrabase hits, 12 RBI) of the Boston Red Sox; and Yoenis Cespedes (.345, 4 HR, 6 RBI) of the Oakland Athletics.
