The Los Angeles Dodgers returned to the Rogers Centre this week for the first time since Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, but Mookie Betts’ nostalgia goes further back than the previous meeting against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Betts recounted his most prominent memories of being back at the Blue Jays’ home stadium, which somewhat surprisingly aren’t of lifting the commissioner’s trophy last year.
“Just from when I was younger. When I come back here, I think about when I was in Boston when I was younger. I remember walking in and watching movies with Big Papi, Hanley (Ramirez) and those guys before all this changed. Those are the kind of memories that come back,” said Betts, alluding to the early stages of his career with the Boston Red Sox.
Betts said it’s an inexplicable phenomenon, but the sheer amount of experiences he had in the stadium prior to joining the Dodgers could help shine some light as to why this is the case.
Betts spent the first six seasons of his career with the Red Sox and became very familiar with Rogers Centre as a divisional opponent. Teams used to play 19 games per season against each of the teams in their division prior to 2023, giving him plenty of time to form lasting memories in Toronto.
“I mean, of course that, but that’s not the first thing,” Betts said of memories also having memories from the 2025 World Series. “The first thing is being a 21-, 22-year-old kid, watching movies with Hanley, Big Papi, Pablo (Sandoval) and those guys. The fries here. Those are the memories that come back.
“For some odd reason it’s when I was young. Those memories come back the most.”
Betts played 49 games against the Blue Jays on the road between the 2014 and 2019 seasons. He batted .295 with 28 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, 27 RBI and 50 runs scored in those contests.
Dodgers’ home World Series celebration drought continues
None of the Dodgers’ last three World Series clinching wins have come at Dodger Stadium. While it doesn’t have any significance in the grand scheme of things, it does mean that the players need to hit the road to relive these precious moments.
In fact, the Dodgers have only celebrated the final out of a World Series on their home field once in their franchise history, and that was in 1963 against the New York Yankees. Their win in 2020 was technically as the home team, but the game was played at Globe Life Field because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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