Yasiel Puig had a wild sequence against a rookie Angels pitcher who struggled to control anything inside. First, Puig got brushed with a pitch on his backside after swinging at a change-up. He looked annoyed but didn’t overreact, signaling he knew it wasn’t intentional. The rookie followed that by plunking Carlos Santana in the foot the next inning. Then came Puig again, now with two on in the third. First pitch was off-speed for a strike. The next two pitches both came inside. One hit Puig again. This time, he lost his patience. Puig confronted the pitcher with that mix of irritation and disbelief only he can deliver. No punches were thrown, but it was tense. Benches didn’t clear, though bullpens came out for the usual stare-down and some casual talk.
The Angels pitcher tried to defend himself, claiming he wasn’t throwing at anyone on purpose. Puig didn’t buy it, calling him out for poor control and questioning why he’d throw inside without the command to back it up. Then the pitcher dropped the ball on the mound mid-argument, which did not help his case. It all looked messy. Things unraveled fast after that. The rookie gave up four runs in the inning, including walking in one. Puig and the Indians came out on top. The Angels’ rookie took the loss. Puig got his revenge just by staying in the game and walking away with the win.