Yasiel Puig defected from Cuba last year. Earlier, however, he had made a failed attempt. Jeff Passan spoke with the Coast Guard crew which intercepted the boat in which he tried to reach the United States in April 2012 and it’s a great story.
While the Coast Guard declined to release specific information about the interdiction of Puig’s boat, conversations with six men aboard the Vigilant at the time gave Yahoo! Sports an in-depth look into a nearly two-week sliver of Puig’s life. Though this was not his final voyage, it offers the greatest insight yet of his tortuous journey to Dodger Stadium.
“He stood out from the group,” Hoschak said. “The conditions he was in on that boat were terrible. He’s got his stuff in a garbage bag. Not really enough food. You can tell.”
