Mookie Betts endured a down year but has bounced back to make a significant impact for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason.
Through 10 playoff games thus far, Betts is hitting .293/.370/.439 with four doubles, one triple and six RBI. The eight-time All-Star is no stranger to October baseball, having won three World Series championships in his 12-year career.
Now as Betts looks to add a fourth title to an impressive resume, he discussed what makes the playoffs much different from the regular season and whether he channels late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality.
“The season gets long and it’s hard to play 160 games and really stay locked in,” Betts began. “But when you get to the postseason, not that this matters more than the regular season, but it’s a different mindset, a different feel.
“It’s a lot more fun.”
As the Dodgers were one win away from capturing the 2020 World Series, Betts explained how he took inspiration from Bryant’s Mamba Mentality and used it to help the team get past the finish line.
Betts has again shifted into a different gear this postseason, and the Dodgers are now just four wins away from becoming the first team in 25 years to repeat as World Series champions.
Mookie Betts downplays Gold Glove nomination
Betts is among the finalists for a Gold Glove Award after completing his first season as the Dodgers’ full-time shortstop.
It is a difficult task for any player to make the transition to shortstop on a regular basis. But for Betts, who has primarily played the outfield in his career, the feat is even more impressive.
“It’s cool,” Betts said of being a finalist for the NL Gold Glove Award at shortstop. “Like I said, I don’t really care about it. I’m just doing my job. That’s how I kind of view it. But I mean, it’s cool.
“If I win a Gold Glove at short, that will be something I can definitely tell my son I was able to do one in the infield and one in the outfield. But at the end of the day, the World Series is what’s the most important.”
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