Mookie Betts knew his first return to Boston since being traded by the Red Sox can be emotional. But he didn’t need it to develop into a distraction when he stepped onto the sector at Fenway Park.
So to assist him deal with baseball, he leaned on some sensible phrases of the late Kobe Bryant.
“I have a job to take care of. Gotta separate business and emotion,” Betts stated Sunday after he led the Dodgers to a collection victory over the Red Sox. “I’ve learned from a couple people, especially Kobe. I got to talk to him right before he (died), he kind of explained that to me and I just put it into my repertoire.”
Betts’ efficiency this weekend would have definitely made Bryant proud.
The Dodgers outfielder was, naturally, instrumental in beating his former group this weekend, which he helped full in Sunday’s 7-4 rubber recreation victory with a 3-for-5, three-RBI efficiency that included a two-run homer over the Green Monster. He completed the three video games going 7-for-15 – which included sparking the Dodgers’ late rally in Friday’s opener – as he continued his August tear.
It was definitely not a straightforward job for Betts to take away his feelings from the weekend. He acquired a standing ovation from the Fenway crowd in every of the three video games in his first at-bat and he saluted them again each time. But he definitely made it look simple.
“It’s remarkable how he was able to be accessible but not feel overwhelmed as far as the people he had to see and obligations, to still focus on the job at hand, it’s not easy to do,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “I’m sure he’s going to sleep well tonight. I’m sure he’s physically and emotionally exhausted. But man, he’s a pro and he does a great job of compartmentalizing. It’s fun when you have expectations for a superstar and he delivers, and he did.”
Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora, whereas definitely not thrilled by Betts’ on-field efforts this weekend, appreciated how he was acquired by the followers in his return.
“That’s great,” Cora stated. “This place is special and the kid is special and they recognize how good he was on the field for us and off the field. So not surprised at all. I mean, these people get it.”
While almost 4 years had handed since he final stepped foot inside Fenway Park, his return meant one thing deeply to him after being drafted by the Red Sox in 2011 and turning into a celebrity in Boston throughout his first six big-league seasons. He admitted he was “really nervous” final week as he anticipated the weekend. But after it was throughout, Betts stated coming again gave some closure to that chapter of his baseball profession.
“I think it kind of acted as it,” Betts stated. “Four years of being in another place and kind of establishing a whole new life, if you give your all to that, it’s going to kind of take away from something here, and being that it was four years, it wasn’t so bad. But it did act as closure.”
How would Betts sum up the weekend?
“Everything was super dope,” Betts stated. “All of what the city has done for me, everybody here and what they’ve done for me. I was very blessed and am very blessed. I thank everyone, the fans, front office, everybody, for the opportunity because it definitely shaped me into who I am today.”
Betts will now transfer on as he continues to be the engine of the first-place Dodgers, and his efficiency this weekend solely aided his MVP case. His homer on Sunday was his thirty fifth of the season – which ties his profession excessive that he set final season – as he pushed his hitting streak to fifteen video games. He’s now batting .464 with a ridiculous 1.324 OPS within the month of August. He’s definitely within the dialog to say his second profession MVP award, which he received with the Red Sox in 2018.
Would he wish to win it?
“It would be cool to win. It would be super cool,” Betts stated. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wouldn’t be cool, but the number one thing is winning the World Series. … Just playing well, man. In this clubhouse, it’s so much fun. So much fun to come to work and be in the dugout and be amongst these guys, it’s easy to play well. That’s why we’re doing so well. It’s a little easier to play well when everybody’s pulling for you.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com