Brandon Phillips is no dummy. He knows that Yasiel Puig comes equipped with a cannon that he should probably have to register as a deadly weapon. That’s why Phillips didn’t even bother heading to third when given the opportunity on a single to right field by his teammate Jay Bruce.
Brandon Phillips bows to Yasiel Puig’s arm
Literally bows.
MLB.com
Why not challenge Puig’s arm there? Oh, I don’t know, maybe because Puig has already done this to a baserunner in 2014:
Wait for that side angle, as it’s the money shot. Puig didn’t even have time to set his legs or even be facing the right direction before throwing, and he still gunned down Miguel Montero with room to spare. In the case of this Brandon Phillips play, Puig had easily fielded a ball and wasn’t all that deep in the outfield -- what chance did Phillips have? Swag recognizing swag kept Phillips from becoming just another statistic out there.
