The Dodgers were waiting the entire World Series for Mookie Betts to get going at the plate.
Then he called himself “terrible” after he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, failing to reach base in a pivotal Game 5 that the Blue Jays ended up winning.
“I don’t want to speak on anybody else,” Betts said on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. “But for myself, I’ve just been terrible. I wish it were from lack of effort, but it’s not. I mean, that’s all I can say.”
Getting that off his chest, it had to help.
What better time for Betts to come through with his biggest hit of October than when the Dodgers were facing elimination for the first time all postseason?
Following another lineup change and a little help from his friends who got on base ahead of him, Betts seemed to remember that he’s one of the best hitters to ever play this game when he came up clutch in the third inning of Friday’s must-win game. The former MVP drove in the winning runs in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over the Blue Jays, sending the World Series to a do-or-die Game 7.
It all started when the Blue Jays made the risky decision to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani with first base open. Tommy Edman had just ripped a one-out double off right-hander Kevin Gausman, and Jays skipper John Schneider preferred to take his chance against Will Smith rather than the Japanese phenom. It didn’t pan out. Smith got the Dodgers on the board with an RBI double before leaving the rest up to the top of the lineup.
Betts represented the final out of the inning, and again he looked off balance at the plate against Gausman. Again, he swung and missed at a four-seam fastball that painted the black. Betts fell behind in the count and he looked doomed, in danger of zapping the Dodgers’ rally before it could begin.
Not again.
Finally, Betts came through in a big moment with a two-run single to left field, punching a chest-high four-seamer through the gap between third base and shortstop and into left field, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 3-0 in the third inning. He reached first base, stooped over, and repeatedly slammed his palms against his thighs.
Mookie Betts & Will Smith Spark THREE-RUN Inning to give Dodgers a 3-0 lead vs. Blue Jays
The relief was obvious. But the pure happiness only arrived after Kiké Hernandez made an incredible game-ending double play in the bottom of the ninth inning, solidifying the Dodgers’ win.
This was a long time coming. Betts’ clutch hit arrived after he became the Dodgers’ main culprit for their complete absence of consistent production in the Fall Classic. Even though Betts wasn’t the only Dodger responsible for their lack of runs scored — Ohtani, Smith, Freddie Freeman, and Betts combined to go 1-for-15 in Game 5’s loss — he was receiving the most scrutiny for being their repeat offender.
Betts entered Game 6 batting and slugging .130 in the World Series. Since the Wild Card series against the Reds, Betts walked into the Rogers Centre on Friday hitting .164 (9-for-55) with no home runs and just two runs scored in 13 postseason games. He had been flailing at the plate and altering his mechanics throughout his October slump.
(Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Betts was never in denial about his struggles. Accountability is his modus operandi. But his body language and lack of confidence before the Dodgers got back on the plane to Canada was concerning. He was becoming an automatic out batting second in the lineup, so Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made the decision to drop him to the No. 3 spot in Game 5. When that didn’t work either, Betts found himself batting cleanup in Game 6. Another drastic lineup change in a must-win game.
“I just felt that I wanted those three guys to have a chance to get on for Mookie,” Roberts told reporters at the Rogers Centre before Friday’s first pitch. “Get on base, and have those guys take the most at-bats.”
It’s fair to wonder if playing shortstop, which Betts has said is extremely challenging for him because he has to stay locked in from the first pitch to the last, has disrupted some of his focus at the plate this year. Though Betts entered October with 74 career playoff games under his belt, this is his first postseason and first World Series posting up at short. We already know it’s the most physically demanding position on the diamond. But it’s possible all those innings in the field have taken a mental toll.
Regardless, as much as the Dodgers cruised through the first three rounds of the playoffs with mediocre results from Betts, it was always going to be hard for them to win the World Series without him. The Blue Jays, a different beast from the playoff teams that Los Angeles eliminated to reach the Fall Classic, were always going to wear the Dodgers down with their relentless offensive approach and loaded roster depth. In order for the Dodgers to win, they needed their stars to come through.
Finally, Betts’ clutch hitting was the difference. The future Hall of Famer helped stave off elimination, and now the Dodgers have momentum and a confident Betts on their side. The Dodgers were already winning games without Betts at his best. But now that he’s finding the gaps? Watch out.
Game 7 with a locked-in Mookie Betts just increased the Dodgers’ already-high chances of becoming repeat champions.
One more win.
Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
