The Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away with a 9-3 win over the Athletics on Wednesday night, boosted by Mookie Betts doubling in a pair of runs in the eighth inning before scoring on Max Muncy’s three-run homer.
Betts delivered the key hit after Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked to put two runners on base with one out. He then turned in the direction of the A’s dugout and let out multiple screams.
“Yeah, I mean, I get it. I get it. I wouldn’t want to pitch to Shohei either, so I definitely understand,” Betts said after the game.
“It’s just all in the game, just being the competitor and just let some emotions out.”
Betts was 0-for-4 prior to hitting the double, while Ohtani had already made his impact felt with a leadoff home run in the first inning.
“I feel like choosing to pitch to Shohei is probably a lot of times a losing battle,” Betts said. “So like I said, I definitely understand. I hadn’t done anything all day and so I think it was just a mix of finally coming through for the boys.
“And in that situation, we just needed something to happen to ensure a win there. So it was just kind of a mix of happiness for myself, for the boys, and whatever.”
Since Ohtani was moved into the leadoff spot of the Dodgers’ lineup and Betts down to second, the former has been intentionally walked five times.
Betts is 3-for-4 with a double, home run, one walk and seven RBI after such instances.
“I’m sure if you look at the percentages, it probably adds up in their favor, for sure,” Betts said. “The game of baseball in general is going to add up in their favor. But again, I definitely understand walking Shohei there.
“I wouldn’t want to pitch to him either, and I knew when he was walking to the plate, they weren’t going to pitch to him. So I just try to mentally prepare to do something great.”
Mookie Betts took Shohei Ohtani’s intentional walk ‘personally’
While Betts insisted that he understood the Athletics’ game plan, Dodgers managers Dave Roberts believes the eight-time All-Star had some extra motivation to break the game open.
“Yeah, as Mookie said, he takes things like that personally,” Roberts began. “And to be quite frank, it was the right baseball decision given how Mookie was swinging the bat and Shohei.
“But it was good, and sometimes that kind of unlocks a player, it locks them in a little bit more when you take things personally. For him to come through in that moment, which, when things like that do happen, it seems like he comes through more times than not.”
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