Yasiel Puig Continues to Make History With Awesome First Month

The Dodgers had to pay a lot to get Puig. They wanted to protect their investment so bad that even though he crushed the ball during spring training they sent him down to the minors in hopes he would mature. A bad season and injuries forced them to call him up earlier than they wanted.

And the rest has become history.

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When the youngster was called up a month ago he wowed fans in his first game with an incredibly precise throw from right field to home plate for the out. Since than his defensive prowess has continued to amaze fans, but it's his bat that has made history.

In his first month in the league he managed to collect 44 hits. That's the best first month in baseball since the great Joe Dimaggio had 48 during his first month back in May of 1936.

Puig doesn't know anything about Dimaggio (he is from another country after all), but he knows enough to appreciate being on the list.

To close out his month he nearly did something many guys only dream of doing--hitting for the cycle. He had a pair of singles in his first two at-bats, added a triple in the fifth inning, and a double in the seventh. His chance to hit for the cycle came in the eight, but he struck out.

"I was going for it," Puig told a TV interviewer moments after the game. "It just didn't happen."

That's okay. Since he's been with the team winning is no longer the exception to the rule. Sunday's win was No. 8 in the teams last nine games and moved them within four games of the division lead.

As much as fans would have loved to have seen him hit the cycle they'll take winning baseball games any day.