Yasiel Puig got his first start in center field but his performance at the plate will be what is remembered as the Los Angeles Dodgers slaughtered the San Francisco Giants on Friday night by the score of 8-1. Switching Puig to center and Kemp to right field certainly was a good move for both players and the Dodgers.
Together the Dodgers set a new club record hitting five triples in the game. It was the most triples the Dodgers had hit in a game since 1921. Puig hit three of them, tying another franchise record that was set in 1901 by Jimmy Sheckard. It was also the most triples hit in one game by a single player in Los Angeles Dodgers’ history. Only three other players have ever hit three triples in a single game during baseball’s Modern Era.
Puig’s three triples came in the first, fifth and sixth innings. He also doubled in the third and had two RBI on the night. Matt Kemp and Dee Gordon added triples of their own during the five-run fifth inning, off of the Giants’ Tim Lincecum.
"“That’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Kemp, who also had two other hits in the game."
Prior to the game it was widely believed that Lincecum had been beginning to turn his career back around after throwing a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on June 26. Friday night though he looked more like the pitcher he’s been in recent years, allowing six runs to score on nine hits. He did, however, accumulate six strikeouts.
Zach Greinke put up another strong performance for the Dodgers allowing just four hits in seven innings of work, walking one and striking out 10 batters. He was replaced by Chris Perez who kept the Giants from scoring but Paul Maholm gave the Giants their only run in the ninth inning on three hits and a walk.
After the game Puig sat in the training room wrapped in ice packs when he told reporters,
"“I’m tired. I was just trying to hit the ball where nobody was.”"
It seems it was quite an exhausting, and exhilarating, Friday night at AT&T Park in San Francisco. At least for Puig, the members of the Dodgers and their fans.