14ymedio, Miami, 7 August 2023 — Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig will join the Eastern Stars of the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic for the 2023-2024 season, which begins on October 19. The athlete himself announced the news on Saturday via his social networks.
“I was born to play baseball,” wrote the athlete, adding: “The best is yet to come.” In the same message, he thanked the Eastern Stars for giving him “the opportunity to play on the best baseball team in the Caribbean this winter,” and concluded: “Mentally, physically and spiritually I am ready to raise its name high with my teammates.”
He also said that, at his own request, it will be the first time he will leave his number 66 to use the number 33, the age that Christ was when he died: “God has given me another chance. I dedicate this number to Him.”
Puig, who was born in Cienfuegos in 1990 and left the Island in 2012 after several attempts has had a profitable career in Major League baseball. In 2019, he became a naturalized American citizen.
With a trajectory that includes participation with teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians (now the Cleveland Guardians), Puig has demonstrated his ability on the mound, his power at bat and his versatility in the field.
This will not be the first time that the 32-year-old player has participated in the Dominican league. The right fielder has had two successful seasons with the Toros del Este, accumulating a total of 16 regular series and 7 postseason (playoff) games in the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 campaigns.
As reported on the official website of the Dominican league, “in 7 seasons in Las Mayores, Puig hit for an average of .277, with 132 home runs and an on-base average of .348. He had three consecutive seasons of 20 or more home runs (28,23, 24) from 2017 to 2019.”
The arrival of the athlete to the Eastern Stars for the Dominican baseball championship has been received with enthusiasm by the organization. The general manager of the team, Manny García, stressed that “his experience will be of great help to the many young players we have who will play an important role on our team.”
Yasiel Puig has also left his mark on other baseball leagues, including those of Mexico, South Korea and Puerto Rico.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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