The date was June 4, 2013 – Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig’s second day in the majors. On that day he would not only hit his first career major league home run but also his second and would set the world on a roller coaster ride of controversy of the likes never seen before in professional sports, let alone baseball. Love him or hate him, “The Wild Horse” (as Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully calls him) has changed the face of baseball forever.

On that fateful June night more than two years ago, the then 22-year-old Cienfuegos, Cuba native drove in five runs. Little did he or anyone else know at the time that it would take 318 career games and exactly 570 days for Puig to match his career-high five-RBI game, which he did on Tuesday night in the Dodgers 5-0 shutout of the Washington Nationals. And though Puig hit only one home run this time – a towering 436-foot two-run shot off of Nationals right-hander Joe Ross that landed halfway up the Left Field Pavilion in the fourth inning – he also hit a two-out bases loaded triple to right field in the fifth inning (also off of Ross) to account for all five Dodgers runs.

Puig’s towering two-run home run in the fourth inning would prove to be all the runs the Dodgers would need on Tuesday night. But for good measure, he pushed across three more runs with his fifth-inning bases loaded triple to tie his career-high of five RBIs – which he did exactly 570 days ago.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

To be fair, Puig received a bit of help on his three-RBI triple. Former Dodgers farm hand Clint Robinson – a first baseman by trade – was filling in for 2015 NL MVP hopeful Bryce Harper in right field on Tuesday night. Ironically, Harper had jammed his right knee while attempting to make a diving catch of a looper off the bat of Dodgers second baseman Jose Peraza, who was making his MLB debut. The ball skidded past Harper for a triple and for Peraza’s first career major league hit. But even more ironic is that Harper had previously injured his right knee when he collided with the wall in 2013 that required off-season surgery. And where did Harper injury his knee back then? You guess it – at Dodger Stadium.

Just as Harper did less that 24 hours earlier, Robinson attempted to make a diving catch of Puig’s looper to right; and just as it did for Harper, the ball skidded past Robinson allowing Puig to arrive at third base standing up. But even if Robinson had played Puig’s ball on a hop, which would have resulted in a single, two runs would have scored anyway, as the runners were going on contact with two outs in the inning.

Of course, no matter how many runs Puig drove in, it was up to Dodgers starter and 2015 NL Cy Young leading candidate Zack Greinke to keep that Nationals off the board and he did so in grand style. In his six innings of work, the Dodger right-hander allowed no runs on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Greinke fell victim to an early high pitch count and came out of the game after the sixth inning having thrown 109 pitches – 71 for strikes. As is usually the case, Greinke was around the plate the entire night which led to a lot of foul balls, thereby escalating his pitch count.

Greinke strengthened his bid to become only the sixth pitcher in MLB history to win a Cy Young award in both leagues on Tuesday night. If he does, he will join Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens and Roy Halladay as the only pitchers to have done so.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Dodgers then received something that they have been seriously missing of late – three scoreless innings from their struggling bullpen. Right-hander Yimi Garcia, who had been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day to replace right-hander Joel Peralta who was placed on the 15-day DL for a “right neck sprain,” pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Greinke allowing only one hit and striking out one. Newcomer Luis Avilan then retired the Nationals in order in the ninth to secure the win for Greinke, who is now 12-2 on the season with an MLB-best 1.65 ERA.

The Dodgers received just what the doctor ordered from Yimi Garcia on Tuesday night. The 24-year-old Moca, Dominican Republic native pitched two scoreless innings allowing only one hit in the Dodgers 5-0 shutout win over the Nationals. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Dodgers hope to keep the momentum going later tonight when they hand the ball to reigning 2014 NL MVP and Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw (9-6, 2.51 ERA). The Dodgers ace will square off against Nationals right-hander Jordan Zimmerman (8-7, 3.44 ERA).