Yasiel Puig gave Rob Butler a jolt on Opening Day, blasting 2 home runs in his first game with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That line alone turns heads because yes, this is baseball, not hockey. And Sunday at Christie Pits, Puig looked like the biggest attraction in the building.
The former MLB All-Star hit in the 3-hole and wasted no time changing the game. Across 4 plate appearances, he went 2-for-2, drew 2 walks, scored 3 runs, and drove in 3.
That is the kind of debut that does more than fill a box score. It gives a club instant buzz and gives a new league-season opener a real star moment.
The first swing that mattered came in the second inning, when Puig sent a 3-run shot out to break the game open. Later, he came back and left the yard again.
He finished the day as the loudest reason Toronto beat the Kitchener Panthers 8-6. For a Maple Leafs club opening a new chapter in the newly rebranded Canadian Baseball League, that is a serious first impression.
The first homer jumped off Puig's bat to left, and the second followed with the same easy carry that used to make him a problem in big-league lineups.
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Puig gave the Maple Leafs instant star power
This is why Toronto signed him in the first place. Puig has not played in MLB since 2019, but the bat speed, the presence, and the attention he brings still travel.
That matters even more now because the former Intercounty Baseball League has shifted into the full professional Canadian Baseball League. A name like Puig does not just help 1 lineup card. It helps sell the whole show.
Toronto also is not the only club in this league chasing headline value, but Puig is still a different level of draw. He arrived with 132 MLB home runs on his résumé, and he looked like a player eager to remind people he can still do damage.
There is a catch to all of this, and it hangs over the summer. Puig is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26 in California after being found guilty on federal charges tied to an illegal sports betting investigation.
So this Leafs run may not last long. That tension is part of the story whether the club likes it or not.
Still, for 1 afternoon, the baseball part was impossible to miss. Puig gave Toronto exactly what a debut like this needed: power, traffic on the bases, and a reason for people to keep paying attention.
For the Maple Leafs, that is a massive start. For Yasiel Puig, it is another reminder that even far from the majors, he can still grab a game and make it feel bigger.
Will Yasiel Puig stay a major draw for the Toronto Maple Leafs as long as he is on the field?
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