Just over one week has passed since Mookie Betts publicly shared he’s taken on a new mindset of no longer worrying about his overall season and instead focusing on contributing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a specific moment.
It’s coincided with improved results at the plate, which manager Dave Roberts believes is connected to the “freeing” feeling he sees Betts playing with.
That surfaced once again in the eighth inning on Sunday, when Betts up to that point hadn’t tallied a hit in the weekend series against the San Diego Padres. There was a sacrifice fly and one walk over the first two-plus games in that stretch, and awaiting Betts was Padres closer Robert Suarez.
Suarez fell behind in the count 2-0, and he threw a 96.8 mph four-seam fastball over the plate that Betts sent into the left field pavilion for what held as a game-winning home run.
“Just, finally. Finally I did something good for the boys with the bat,” answered Betts when asked what thoughts were going through his mind upon delivering the big hit.
“I feel like I’ve done a decent job with the glove, but the bat, I haven’t been able to help much. Just good to help them.”
The 2025 season has been the most trying of Betts’ career, and it’s included a mysterious virus that caused him to lose significant weight and miss the Tokyo Series. There’s also been endless work in the batting cage amid a quest to solve mechanical issues with his swing.
“I feel pretty normal now,” Betts said. “It’s just a matter of continuing to put together good at-bats. I feel pretty good.”
He also noted that no longer worrying about his overall statistics for the season has given him “a lot” of clarity. “It definitely helps to not carry burdens from previous at-bats,” Betts added.
Dave Roberts senses difference in Mookie Betts
Betts had been on an eight-game hitting streak before the series with the Padres began, and Roberts had been praising his overall at-bat quality.
“Just to take the pressure off of trying to recover from a season, and get more micro, just game to game, at-bat to at-bat, it’s a better quality of life,” Roberts said. Certainly, we’re seeing the performance from Mookie.”
As for the home run specifically, Roberts lauded Betts for providing the Dodgers with a “big hit.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
