Yoenis Cespedes’ prizewinning hog sent to butcher
Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes runs drills during a spring training workout in Port St. Lucie, Fla, on Monday, Feb. 29 2016. Credit: Newsday / Alejandra Villa
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Pork, it’s what’s for dinner. Indeed, Yoenis Cespedes’ prize-winning hog has been sent to the butcher.
On Sunday, the Mets outfielder paid $7,000 for the grand champion hog at the St. Lucie County Fair. But instead of going to his farm in Vero Beach, it is headed for his table.
Perhaps, this should come as little shock, particularly for those who remember the homemade highlight reel that went viral in 2011, when Cespedes defected from Cuba to become a free agent. The video, a compilation of his exploits on the baseball field, ends with Cespedes minding a pig roasting on an open flame.
The swine’s fate did not sit well with PETA, which issued a sternly worded statement.
“Yoenis Céspedes can afford $7,000 out of his own pocket, and this loving, loyal, and clever pig is paying the real price with his life,” the statement read. “It’s a shame that Céspedes dropped the ball here and missed the opportunity to send this pig to a sanctuary, where he could have lived out his days in peace.”
PETA intends to send Cespedes some vegan bacon, “in the hope that he’ll open his heart, not clog it with pig fat.”
Earlier, the Mets issued a statement insisting that Cespedes did not have a choice in the matter. They cited Florida law which states that hogs bought at auction must be slaughtered and can’t be kept as pets.
