The famous line from the song "New York, New York" goes: "If I can make it there / I'll make it anywhere." Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig has already "made it" in the sense that he's in the big leagues and crushing the ball, but his first trip to New York City will put even more of a spotlight on the 22-year-old Cuban outfielder.
His Dodgers start a two-game series on Tuesday with the New York Yankees. Dodgers vs. Yankees is a big deal on its own. Add Puigmania in The Big Apple and Yankee Stadium will certainly be buzzing.
As Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez can attest, being good in L.A. and being good in New York are two very different things. Puig's hitting a gaudy .479/.500/.771 after going 3-for-4 on Sunday. He's without a hit in only two of his 13 MLB games. But watch what would happen if he goes 0-for-the-series against the Yankees. The doubters of Puigmania will have a field day saying he got gobbled up by the city.
And while all that remains to be seen, here's a scene from Puig's off-day in New York City on Monday. He hung out at the MLB Fan Cave and had every bit of the good time you'd expect from a 22-year-old. He played ping-pong, got a haircut, swung a huge bat, listened to Puig Destroyer, met fans and filled out an All-Star ballot. (Our own Jeff Passan says Puig deserves to be in the All-Star Game).
We're told that by the time Puig left the MLB Fancave there was a throng out of people outside waiting for him as if he were a pop star. He signed autographs for everyone. That's a good first step for Puigmania in The Big Apple.
Now he's got to keep swinging that hot bat against the Yankees.
Baseball season's in full swing. Don't miss a thing.
Follow @MikeOz and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter, along with the BLS Facebook page.
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