Yasiel Puig homers twice in debut for Canadian baseball team weeks before facing possible prison sentence


Yasiel Puig may be staring down a 15-year prison sentence, but the former major leaguer can still hit.

Puig is playing in the Canadian Baseball League for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and on Sunday, in a game against the Kitchener Panthers, he hit a pair of home runs.

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The former big leaguer hit a two-out, three-run home run into deep left field in the bottom of the second inning to break a 1-1 tie.

Former MLB star Yasiel Puig hits his second home run for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. @BaseballQuotes1/X

Puig pointed to the sky as he crossed home plate after trotting around the basepaths.

The 35-year-old slugger followed it up with a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Puig took a  2-1 pitch into left field, into a park area far from the ballfield, where the semi-pro baseball game he was taking part in was.

Puig signed with the Maple Leafs of the Canadian Baseball League late last month and Sunday was his first game with the semi-pro team.

All of this occurred 20 days out from a sentencing hearing slated for May 26 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles.

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He was found guilty of obstruction of justice and providing false statements to federal investigators who had been looking into an illegal sports gambling operation.

Former MLB star Yasiel Puig rounds the bases after hitting his second home run for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. @BaseballQuotes1/X

Former MLB star Yasiel Puig rounds the bases after hitting his second home run for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. @BaseballQuotes1/X

The charges stemmed from an interview with investigators that took place on Jan. 27, 2022.

He is potentially facing 15 years in jail, though he could receive a more lenient sentence for the situation.

Puig had played seven seasons in Major League Baseball, spending six of those seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and playing for Cincinnati and Cleveland in his final year.

Yasiel Puig #66 of the <a class="link " href="https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/cleveland/" data-i13n="sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link" data-ylk="slk:Cleveland Indians;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-yga="{"yLinkElement":"context_link","yModuleName":"content-canvas","yLinkText":"Cleveland Indians","ySubModuleName":"anchor_text","yHasCommerce":false}">Cleveland Indians</a> looks on during the fourth inning of the MLB game between the Cleveland Indians and the <a class="link " href="https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/teams/la-angels/" data-i13n="sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link" data-ylk="slk:Los Angeles Angels;sec:content-canvas;subsec:anchor_text;elm:context_link;itc:0" data-yga="{"yLinkElement":"context_link","yModuleName":"content-canvas","yLinkText":"Los Angeles Angels","ySubModuleName":"anchor_text","yHasCommerce":false}">Los Angeles Angels</a> at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 09, 2019 in Anaheim, California. Getty Images
Yasiel Puig #66 of the Cleveland Indians looks on during the fourth inning of the MLB game between the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 09, 2019 in Anaheim, California. Getty Images
Former MLB star Yasiel Puig celebrates one of his two home runs for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. @BaseballQuotes1/X

Former MLB star Yasiel Puig celebrates one of his two home runs for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. @BaseballQuotes1/X

During his time in the majors, he was named to the MLB All-Star Game in 2014.

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Puig hit .277 in 3,376 plate appearances, while recording 132 home runs and 415 RBIs.



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