When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Mookie Betts from the Boston Red Sox, they knew how special he was and that became all the more evident when he was signed to a 12-year, $365 million extension before ever playing in a regular season game for the team.
In his short time with the Dodgers, Betts has proven why he is worth that kind of money, whether it be his contributions in the field, on the basepaths, or in the batter’s box.
Betts had his best game in a Dodger uniform in Thursday night’s win over the San Diego Padres, reaching base all five times on a hit by pitch, single and three home runs, driving in a total of five runs.
It marked the sixth time in Betts’ career that he homered three times in a single game. He previously did so twice in 2016, two more in 2018 and once last season. The six such performances are tied with Sammy Sosa and Johnny Mize for most in MLB history.
“It’s obviously a great feeling to know you can go up and just hit, not worry about the rest of it. These times don’t happen very often, so you just enjoy it while it’s here,” Betts said.
While Betts was appreciative of the accomplishment, his focus remains on the bigger goal. “It’s a stat but it’s not as important as the rings,” he said.
For a player to homer three times in a game once is incredible in its own right, let along six times by the age of 27. Betts will have plenty of time to pass Sosa and Mize as he will be with the Dodgers for 12 more seasons before his contract runs out.
Dodgers homer six times in blowout win over Padres
While Betts homering three times against San Diego was the story of the night, he wasn’t the only Dodger to go deep in the game.
Two of the team’s other hot hitters, Corey Seager and AJ Pollock, both got the night started with home runs in the first inning. Seager missed the last five games due to a back injury.
Austin Barnes hit a homer of his own in the fourth inning, starting a run of back-to-back long balls as Betts followed with his second of the night.
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