Dodgers News: Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig Pair Up In Mexico
Yasiel Puig has had a busy offseason. He’s hung out with Clayton Kershaw in Cuba and played paintball with Joc Pederson, but now he enjoyed the company of another teammate.
The Cuban outfielder and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez traveled to Mexico to enjoy some festivities before the Mexican Liga del Pacífico final. The winner of that final, which is between Los Venados de Mazatlán and Las Águilas de Mexicali, would represent Mexico in the Caribbean Series in the Dominican Republic.
The pair took part in the pregame ceremonies, and also ended up taking batting practice.
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As is usually the case, Yasiel Puig documented the trip with a picture on Instagram:
The two players also threw out the ceremonial first pitches for the game.
The event had special meaning to Gonzalez, who, in 2009, hit three home runs in that same Mexicali stadium in order to propel his team to a win over the Dominican Republic that led to the crowd chanting his name afterwards.
Sharing adventures like this is just one of the many things that bonds a team and its players. It seems like Puig has gone out of his way this offseason to not only show someone his very own culture, but to embrace the culture of those around him.
While taking Kershaw with him to Cuba, playing paintball with Pederson, and going to Mexico with Gonzalez seem like trivial things that teammates do during the offseason, it shows the growing bond and friendship that Puig has with his teammates.
And if building a locker room atmosphere that breeds excitement and friendship is the one of the things that changes because of all of this, then it was all worth it in the long run.
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