The defining second of the Dodgers’ season glided by virtually utterly unnoticed.
That’s as a result of the significance of the second wasn’t measured by what occurred. Moderately, it was measured by what didn’t occur.
When Mookie Betts returned to proper discipline in mid-August, he didn’t complain. He didn’t brood. He didn’t cease enjoying like Mookie Betts.
As an alternative of inflicting the sorts of issues which have derailed numerous different groups with championship aspirations, Betts used his affect to create a tradition of sacrifice that has turn into a trademark of the Dodgers, who will tackle the New York Yankees within the World Collection beginning Friday.
“When guys like that do it,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned, “everyone else has to fall in line, as far as whatever roles, wherever they hit in the order, if they play or start or don’t start.”
Through the previous few weeks, Dodgers gamers forfeited time with their households to spend extra time with each other. Freddie Freeman performed on a sprained ankle. Reliever Brent Honeywell threw stay batting follow to slumping hitters.
Freeman mentioned of Betts’ team-first mindset, “It just carries over to the rest of the team.”
Within the retelling of this story, Dodgers officers say they by no means doubted that Betts would relinquish his place at shortstop and transfer again to proper discipline. It could be extra correct to say they had been hopeful.
Mookie Betts greets Dodgers teammate Tommy Edman with a bathe of sunflower seeds as Edman returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run residence run throughout Sport 6 of the NLCS Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Instances)
Betts had all the time advised them he would do no matter was greatest for the staff. Nonetheless, in his earlier 4 years with the Dodgers, what he was requested to do typically coincided with what he wished. On this case, they had been about to ask him to do one thing he won’t need to do.
Which might clarify why, as Betts approached his return from a damaged hand in early August, Roberts initially mentioned he would stay the staff’s shortstop.
A six-time Gold Glove Award winner in proper discipline, Betts had an apparent affinity for enjoying the infield. The workaholic Betts had thrown himself into relearning a place he final performed usually in highschool by taking grounders earlier than each sport. The damaged hand in mid-June halted his progress.
By the point Betts was near being activated from the injured record, the Dodgers knew they wished him again in proper discipline. At this level, Betts hadn’t performed in seven weeks, costing him expertise at his new place. The Dodgers had added infield depth within the likes of Tommy Edman and the since-departed Nick Ahmed. Miguel Rojas was additionally anticipated to return quickly from an damage.
Betts regarded decided to stay the staff’s shortstop, as he resumed fielding grounders as quickly as he was medically cleared to take action. Workforce officers knew he might level to how he grew to become the shortstop within the first place as a result of they overestimated Gavin Lux’s means to play the place. They knew he might level to how he already made a considerable sacrifice by switching positions within the lineup with Shohei Ohtani, who in his absence had taken over his most popular leadoff spot. They knew he might level to how he was, effectively, Mookie Betts.
“When you have a guy that has a name and just the accomplishments and talents about him, like someone like Mookie does, [and] he wants to be the leadoff hitter, he wants to play certain positions and you tell him he has to go somewhere else, you always worry about that causing conflict,” infielder Max Muncy mentioned.
Nonetheless, Muncy added, the gamers knew Betts wasn’t a typical famous person.
“There was never going to be any question from any of us about Mookie,” Muncy mentioned. “We knew that he would do whatever it takes to help the team win. He’s proven that time and time again.”
Muncy raised one other level.
“Him moving to the infield this year was about helping us win as much as anything,” Muncy mentioned.
Not like different gamers, Freeman famous, Betts simply occurred to be gifted sufficient to play a brand new place.
“The man can do anything he wants,” Freeman mentioned. “I think he’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever seen on the field. He’s one of the only people that could probably do what he’s done throughout the course of the year.”
Mookie Betts celebrates after hitting an RBI double throughout the Dodgers’ NLCS-clinching Sport 6 win over the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Instances)
The gamers had been proper. When Roberts addressed the scenario, Betts agreed to the change.
“You want to win, that comes first,” Betts mentioned on the time. “That’s all I care about.”
Complaining, Betts mentioned, would have been “a very selfish thing.”
“That’s not who I am,” Betts mentioned. “I’ve preached this from the very beginning, and I always will.”
He has lived as much as his phrases. Along with offering the Dodgers with a premium glove in proper discipline, he has additionally shined as their No. 2 hitter, punishing opponents who elect to pitch round Ohtani.
When the Dodgers signed Betts to a 12-year, $365-million contract extension earlier than the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman mentioned they had been betting on Betts the individual as a lot as they had been Betts the participant. Clearly, they made the proper name. Their reward: a fourth World Collection look in eight years.
