Inside the Dodgers dugout, Dave Roberts could not hide his displeasure. Yasiel Puig had just hit a towering drive in the sixth inning of an 8-2 victory over Cincinnati. Roberts should have been celebrating a rare quality at-bat from his slump-ridden right fielder. Instead he felt compelled to exercise discipline.
Puig miscalculated his own strength, posing at the plate as the ball took flight. The ball did not clear the fence — it merely struck the obstruction. So when Puig settled for a single, rather than the extra bases his hit merited, Roberts made up his mind.