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Yasiel Puig followed up his impressive major league debut with just about the strongest second impression possible, powering the Dodgers to a 9-7 win over the Padres on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Puig hit two home runs, doubled and drove in five runs in the victory, the second straight for the Dodgers.
The last Dodger to hit two home runs in a game in the first week of his career was Roy Campanella, who hit two home runs on July 7, 1948 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Puig is the only Dodger ever to have a two-homer game within his first two major league games, and he's the first Dodger ever to have a five-RBI game within his first two games since Spider Jorgensen, who drove in six on Apr. 16, 1947.
But that's not all Puig did on Tuesday.
Last Dodger to start career with back-to-back multi-hit games: Larry Miller (6/21/1964 and 0/29/1964).
— Dodgers PR (@DodgersPR) June 5, 2013
Yasiel Puig: 1st player with a 2-HR, 5-RBI game within 1st 2 career games since 1949! (Dino Restelli, Pirates)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 5, 2013
Puig doubled to lead off the game and advanced to third with one out. But Clayton Richard retired both Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez, who were 8-for-10 and 9-for-10 against him respectively, to end the inning.
The Dodgers trailed 5-2 in the fifth inning, but conveniently there were two runners on base for Puig, who launched ball 439 feet, halfway up the pavilion in left center field to tie the game. The Dodgers took the lead later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Hanley Ramirez, in his first game back after missing a month with a strained left hamstring.
The Padres tied the game in the sixth, but Luis Cruz got the lead right back with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning. Puig followed with an opposite field shot to right to complete his stellar night and sent Dodger Stadium to a new decibel level.
The only sad part of the night was that the Dodgers didn't bat in the ninth, leaving Puig in the on-deck circle to end the eighth.
Tuesday's particulars
Home runs: Tim Federowicz (2), Yasiel Puig 2 (2); Chris Denorfia (3), Kyle Blanks (4), Carlos Quentin (6)
WP - J.P. Howell (2-0): 1⅔ IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 strikeout
LP - Tyson Ross (0-2): 2⅓ IP, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
Sv - Brandon League (13): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts