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Dodgers News: Yasiel Puig Sends Madison Bumgarner ‘#DONTLOOKATME’ Shirt

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Marly Rivera-ESPN

Beyond the natural competitiveness and tension that comes with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants being storied rivals, there’s the animosity that exists between Yasiel Puig and Madison Bumgarner.

The two first exchanged words in May 2014 after Puig hit a home run off Bumgarner and did one of his patented bat flips. Bumgarner met Puig as he jogged down the third-base line, but their confrontation was brief and broken up by Giants catcher Buster Posey and the home plate umpire.

Later that season, Bumgarner hit Puig with a pitch, which led to a shouting match and both benches clearing. A similar situation unfolded Monday after Bumgarner fielded a tapper and threw to first base for the final out of the seventh inning.

As Bumgarner and Puig stared one another down, the left-hander yelled, ‘Don’t look at me.’ That led to both benches and bullpens clearing, and Dodgers players returning Tuesday with ‘#DONTLOOKATME’ t-shirts.

After photos of the players wearing the shirts went viral, Puig sent one to Bumgarner, with an assist from Charlie Culberson and Brandon Belt, per ESPN’s Doug Padilla:

A day after the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig and the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner feuded on the field, a tongue-in-cheek gift from Puig to Bumgarner yielded laughs from both clubhouses.

Credit Dodgers infielder Charlie Culberson as the go-between for the two camps.

Culberson had a Dodgers clubhouse attendant deliver the shirt to the Giants’ side, and when Bumgarner was not there to receive it, amused Giants players hung it at Bumgarner’s locker.

After communicating with San Francisco’s Brandon Belt, Culberson said the gift was a hit in the Giants’ clubhouse, just as it was in the Dodgers’ clubhouse.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and multiple of Puig’s teammates felt Bumgarner was responsible for igniting the altercation. Justin Turner said Tuesday there wasn’t any concern over the Giants potentially growing upset with the Dodgers’ shirts and seeking retribution.

San Francisco did not, though they came away with a 2-0 victory to remain within striking distance in the National League West.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com