Mookie Betts endured more postseason struggles in the National League Division Series before finding his swing to help the Los Angeles Dodgers come back and eliminate the San Diego Padres.
Betts’ turnaround helped erase lingering memories from going 0-for-11 in the National League Division Series last year. He wasn’t alone in struggling, as most Dodgers did, but Betts also went through a skid in postseasons before that.
One notable difference for Betts during the regular season this year was missing an extended period of time because of a fractured left hand. That fueled some hope the 32-year-old would be in better physical condition this October, but manager Dave Roberts isn’t necessarily convinced fatigue was to blame in the 2023 NLDS.
“I don’t know. I think that’s always the default, but I think he was just missing fastballs last year, to be quite honest,” Roberts recently said.
“I don’t think the three-game sample with the five days off, you could kind of attribute to being fatigued. We had that same conversation with Will Smith, and he ended up having a really nice postseason. I just don’t know about that.”
Whatever rest benefit Betts possibly gained during the season didn’t appear to be paying off, but that changed when the NLDS shifted to Petco Park. He wound up hitting a home run in back-to-back games and the Dodgers overcame a 2-1 series deficit.
Mookie Betts found ‘dog’
In addition to no longer going on social media, Betts revealed he did some internal reflecting and found an extra gear.
“I was really just letting it get to me. And really what was getting to me is that I wasn’t able to help the team. I know it’s going to take everybody, but I just wanted to do my part,” Betts told former teammate David Ortiz during a postgame interview on FS1.
“Control the things that I can control, and I wasn’t. I was messing up and not doing my part with the team. So that was what was really killing me. I really just reached down, said some prayers, reached down deep and tried to become a dog. It worked.”
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