Yasiel Puig knocked in his first run of the season via a ninth inning single to tie a,game that the Navegantes de Magallanes eventually won 12-9 over their eternal rivals, the Leones del Caracas. The outfielder also scored a run on the evening and is now hitting .300 in three games with the Venezuelan squad.
“I’m very grateful to the team and the entire coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to be here. I hope to help them get through this rough patch we’re going through. Now we need to be more united than ever, since almost all of us foreign players are here,” said the Cuban outfielder about the state of the team.
“I arrived on Sunday and also trained this Monday, which is a rest day. I played with the guys and had two at-bats. I plan to be in shape to fulfill my commitment to being here and representing Magallanes. I want to perform well in my debut and in the league in general. I really like Venezuelan winter baseball,” Puig continued in his interaction with the Magallanes press.
Puig had his best season in LVBP during the 2023-24 campaign, posting the following numbers in the regular season: a .418 batting average, a .518 on-base percentage, a 1.364 OPS, and an .846 slugging percentage, along with 23 RBIs. That season he collected 38 hits, including seven doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs. Puig finished the year with La Guaira, playing in all 12 Round Robin games. He hit .383, with 18 hits in 47 at-bats, including four home runs and two doubles. He finished with nine RBIs and 13 runs scored.
The “Wild Horse,” in the five games of the final, was lethal at the plate, connecting for eight hits in 19 at-bats. Of those eight hits, three were doubles and one was a home run. The slugger also drove in six runs, while alsobatting .421 and also posting an on-base percentage of .500.