The Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated with a 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 6 of the National League Championship on Saturday. It was the third time in the series they were held to just two runs.
“I am not disappointed at all. It is what it is,” Betts said after the loss. “You win some, you lose some. We didn’t score more runs than they did and they played well.”
Although the Dodgers were not able to complete their goal to repeat as World Series champions, Betts still appreciates what the team was able to accomplish through all the injuries and challenges in the season.
“It’s easy to overlook all that, but we don’t,” Betts said. “We know what it takes to get to this point. The injuries, being on the road so much, people don’t think about you dedicate your life to this.
“So I’m not going to hang my head. I’m going to be excited and be happy about what we did, what we accomplished and tip my cap to the Braves.”
Earlier this season Betts said the Dodgers were embracing having a bullseye on their back as the defending World Series champion that every team wants to beat.
Despite being an opponent teams elevated their play against, the Dodgers tied a franchise record with 106 wins and returned to the NLCS a fourth time in the past five seasons.
“Super proud. We had a target on our back. Everywhere we go it’s, ‘Beat L.A. Beat L.A.,’ Betts said. “To me, that just lets you know you’ve done something good and everybody is after you.
“It’s hard to be on top. Everybody fights to get on top, and then it’s a battle to keep everybody away. It’s hard, but it’s what we signed up for.”
Betts credits Braves
While the Dodgers were struggling to generate consistency at the plate, Betts noted the Braves pitching staff deserved some recognition.
“Sometimes it’s just teams get hot. I think we could search for answers and this, that, and the other, but sometimes you just don’t get hot and I feel like we haven’t gotten hot as a unit,” Betts said.
“That make it’s really hard to win like that. So then you just are solely relying on your pitching not letting them score at all, and that’s not a team thing. So we have to find a way to get hot and there’s only one way to do it and that’s just going out and playing.”
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