Latest news with #Betts
New York Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mookie Betts grappling with death of family member during Dodgers absence
Mookie Betts' season took a tragic turn off the field. Betts was mysteriously absent from Friday's and Saturday's lineup against his former team, the Boston Red Sox, with what the Dodgers called personal issues. Betts explained to reporters after he returned on Sunday, a 4-3 loss to Boston, that he was dealing with the passing of his stepfather and had flown home to Tennessee to be with his family. Advertisement 3 Mookie Betts revealed his family members death was the reason for his Fenway Park absence. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 'My stepdad passed,' Betts told reporters. 'So I needed to go home, be with my mom, somebody that's been there in my life from fourth grade until now. So, that was tough for me and the family, but I just needed to be there for my mom and my brothers and sisters.' 'So, it's just a tough time, and there's no real way to really explain something like that outside of just being there and spending time with the family,' Betts added. Betts' parents, Diana Benedict and Willie Betts, divorced when he was a child. Advertisement Betts flew back to Boston by himself on Saturday and appeared as a pinch hitter in the game, although he struck out in that lone at-bat. Betts, 32, spent the first six years of his career in Boston before being traded to the Dodgers in 2020. He's been highly productive in his time in Los Angeles, helping them win two World Series, although this has been a particularly a tough year, both on and off the field. Advertisement He started the season on the bench with a mystery illness that left him unable to eat solid foods. 3 Mookie Betts talks with reporters after Sunday's loss to the Red Sox. Dodgers Nation | YouTube 3 Betts returned to Boston over the weekend. AP Advertisement At the start of the year, Betts was weighing 157 pounds and saying that his body was 'kind of eating itself.' He is hitting a career-low .240 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs in 97 games played for the first-place Dodgers.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dodgers' Mookie Betts rejoins team Saturday after death in family; pinch hits and strikes out
BOSTON (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts returned to the team during the game on Saturday night after missing the previous night's contest due to a death in the family. 'He got in about the third inning, fourth inning, something like that,' manager Dave Roberts said after Betts pinch hit and struck out looking for the final out against Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman in Boston's 4-2 victory. 'He got his own plane to get here, found a way to get here and get loose,' Roberts said. 'For me, it just meant a lot that he found a way to get here and be available and take the at-bat late.' The 32-year-old Betts traveled to his home in Nashville for the day off Thursday and missed Los Angeles' 5-2 victory over his former team on Friday night at Fenway Park. 'Mookie is: 'Wheels up,'' Roberts said, sitting in the Dodgers' dugout about two hours before the scheduled first pitch. 'He's on his way here and I expect him to be at the stadium sometime around, shortly after the first pitch.' Roberts was asked if he could say why Betts, mired in one of the worst seasons of his career, left the team. 'I think its more for him to talk about. It was something with his family and a situation where he had to be home taking care of it,' Roberts said. 'A death in the family. … For him to be with his family and to come back and be with his teammates is high priority.' The 2018 AL MVP with Boston, Betts is batting just .237 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs this season. Last Saturday night, he was benched for a game against Milwaukee because of his struggles at the plate. After not playing for that game, he's gone just 3 for 18 with no homers or RBIs. A World Series champion with the Red Sox in 2018, Betts was traded after six seasons in Boston to the Dodgers before the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, where he won his first of two Series titles with Los Angeles (in 2020 and last season). Shortly after going to the Dodgers, Betts signed a $365-million, 12-year deal. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Some Red Sox fans were eagerly awaiting another return to Fenway by Betts, with a handful of both his Boston and LA jerseys sprinkled in the stands. He got a loud ovation when he came out of the dugout to the on-deck circle, and it got louder when he walked to the plate. A local bar outside the Green Monster had a sign telling fans to try and not to shed a tear for Mookie. ___ AP MLB:
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Dodgers' Mookie Betts expected to rejoin team Saturday after death in family
BOSTON (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts is expected to return to the team sometime Saturday night after missing a game due to a death in the family, manager Dave Roberts said. The 32-year-old Betts traveled to his home in Nashville for the day off Thursday and missed Los Angeles' 5-2 victory over his former team, the Boston Red Sox, on Friday night at Fenway Park. 'Mookie is: 'Wheels up,' Roberts said, sitting in the Dodgers' dugout about two hours before the scheduled first pitch. 'He's on his way here and I expect him to be at the stadium sometime around, shortly after the first pitch.' Roberts was asked if he could say why Betts, mired in one of the worst seasons of his career, left the team. 'I think its more for him to talk about. It was something with his family and a situation where he had to be home taking care of it,' Roberts said. 'A death in the family. … For him to be with his family and to come back and be with his teammates is high priority.' The 2018 AL MVP with Boston, Betts is batting just .238 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs this season. Last Saturday night, he was benched for a game against Milwaukee because of his struggles at the plate. After not playing for that game, he's gone just 3 for 17 with no homers or RBIs. Roberts said he'd talk to Betts to see how he felt when asked if he was available to come off the bench and play Saturday. A World Series champion with the Red Sox in 2018, Betts was traded after six seasons in Boston to the Dodgers before the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, where he won his first of two Series titles with Los Angeles (in 2020 and last season). Shortly after going to the Dodgers, Betts signed a $365-million, 12-year deal. Some Red Sox fans were eagerly awaiting another return to Fenway by Betts, with a handful of both his Boston and LA jerseys sprinkled in the stands. ___
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Why Mookie Betts Won't Immediately Join Dodgers For Red Sox Series
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. BOSTON -- Mookie Betts has a storied history at Fenway Park, but the Red Sox didn't see him for the opener of a three-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts was not present for Friday's matchup and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts provided clarity to his update from earlier this week that the All-Star would miss the opener with a personal matter. SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning against the San Diego Padres during Game Three of... SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 08: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning against the San Diego Padres during Game Three of the Division Series at Petco Park on October 08, 2024 in San Diego, California. More"He'll be back (Saturday) right around game time," Roberts said at Fenway Park. "He's trying to make sure he gets back as soon as he can. Not sure if he's going to be in the lineup, but he'll be here at some point." Roberts added that Betts was home in Nashville before he planned to join the team back at Fenway Park. Betts won his first World Series title in a year to remember for the Red Sox back in 2018, when Boston defeated the Dodgers in five games. He won American League MVP that season among a slew of individual accolades. In his first return to Fenway Park in 2023, Betts went 7-for-15 with a home run, four RBI and five runs scored in a strong weekend. Betts added two more titles with the Dodgers, though he's struggled at the plate this month with a .185 batting average and a .548 OPS. The Dodgers and Red Sox each held playoff spots entering the three-game set in Boston. More MLB: Red Sox Predicted To Land Pirates Starter As Deadline Festivities Begin
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Dodgers Dugout: Mookie Betts, Ryan Ward and some random thoughts
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. It's time for some random thoughts about the Dodgers. —This team seems to make more costly errors than any Dodger team in recent memory. —Why is James Outman, who is hitting .137/.245/.269 over his last two seasons with the Dodgers (including .103 this season), in the majors while Ryan Ward, who is hitting .315/.401/.614 with 26 homers at triple-A Oklahoma City, sits in the minors? Maybe Ward (who hit .258/.317/.543 with 33 homers last season in triple A) will flame out in the majors, but we know Outman can't hit. We don't know what Ward can do yet. —Would moving from shortstop help Mookie Betts hit again? Let's take a look at his numbers last season: when he started at shortstop: .308/.407/.500, 15 doubles, nine homers, 39 walks, 29 K's in 240 at bats. at right field: .273/.324/.517, eight doubles, nine homers, 14 walks, 21 K's in 161 at bats. He hit better as a shortstop last season, so perhaps that isn't the problem after all. However, I think the Dodgers are much better defensively with Betts in right and Miguel Rojas (or someone else) at short. —The Dodgers have played poorly lately, but we still won't have any sense of what this team really is until after the trade deadline. —Betts is 32 and has always had one of the slowest bat speeds in the majors. We could be looking at how he's going to hit from now on. Probably not, but the days of 39 homers and 107 RBIs may be over, regardless if he rebounds this season or not. —A lot of people have asked what is up with Charley Steiner, who called part of the first game of the season and nothing since. The Dodgers remain mum, but we do know he was battling cancer last season. We wish him well. —Tyler Glasnow looked like an ace Tuesday, giving up one run in seven innings while striking out 12. If he can stay healthy, that will be huge come the postseason. That's a big if though. —Austin Barnes is hitting .174 (4 for 23) for the Giants in triple A. He singled off Blake Snell, who was pitching a rehab game for the Dodgers, so some things never change. If he could have faced Snell his whole career, he'd be in the Hall of Fame. —Dalton Rushing, who came up when Barnes was released to provide more offense, is hitting .216/.280/.297 in 27 games. With the Dodgers this season, Barnes hit .214/.233/.286. It was still the right move to make, but it hasn't worked out like expected so far. —Max Muncy is ahead of schedule as he works to return from a bone bruise in his knee. In May, who would have thought we'd be eagerly awaiting the return of Muncy? —Bobblehead nights I'd like to see: A duo of reliever Mike Marshall and outfielder Mike Marshall. John Shelby, pounding his glove just before a catch. Jay Howell, with a lot of pine tar on the outside of his glove. Pedro Guerrero, holding a bat with no glove in sight. Jerry Reuss no-hitter bobblehead. Mickey Hatcher two World Series home runs bobblehead. Steve Yeager blocking home plate, with that flap hanging down from his mask. Bill Buhler with that can of freeze spray he used. Brian Holton and Tim Crews, unsung heroes of the 1988 team. The 1988 'Stuntmen,' Hatcher, Rick Dempsey, Dave Anderson, Franklin Stubbs and Danny Heep. Jim Wynn and Lance Rautzhan, two of my favorite Dodgers. —Blake Treinen could be back in the next couple of weeks. —I don't wish for anyone to be injured, but this forearm inflammation that is sidelining Tanner Scott could be a blessing in disguise, giving him a chance to reset mentally and come back like the Scott of old. He is a much better pitcher than he has shown so far. —The Dodgers are hitting .212 in July. —The league might be catching up to Hyeseong Kim. He is hitting .191 this month with only one extra-base hit and on walk in 47 at bats. —Tommy Edman is seven for his last 49 (.143) —Michael Conforto is hitting better than Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández this month. —There are 59 games left to go and the Dodgers are still in first place. We can always examine the negatives, but we have to remember the positives too. —Baseball Reference ran a simulation 1,000 times of the remaining games and the postseason. Here are the teams that won the World Series at least 20 times in those simulations: Chicago Cubs, won World Series 175 timesDetroit, 125 timesMilwaukee, 114 timesNY Yankees, 105 timesHouston (no relation), 95 timesDodgers, 72 timesPhiladelphia, 61 timesToronto, 49 timesNY Mets, 44 timesBoston, 31 timesSeattle, 30 timesSan Diego, 26 timesTampa Bay, 26 timesTexas, 23 times The trade deadline was Thursday at 3 p.m. PT. The Dodgers have needs. They signed relievers (Scott, Kirby Yates) in the offseason so they wouldn't have to trade for relief help, yet here we are. An outfielder could be nice. I've long since stopped guessing what Andrew Friedman will do at the deadline, because it's almost always something unexpected. Instead, we will look at the top players available at positions it seems the team needs help. Click on the player name to be taken to their stats page at Baseball Reference. They are listed in alphabetical order and stats are through Wednesday. Starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Miami: Won the NL Cy Young in 2022. Missed last season after Tommy John surgery, so you know that makes him extra appealing to the Dodgers. Has a 6.66 ERA this season, which I'm told is not very good. Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh: Is only 4-10 with a 3.53 ERA and is owed $56 million over the next three seasons, so this seems unlikely, but possible. Seth Lugo, Kansas City: Lugo throws nine different pitcher (think Rich Hill, only right-handed.) Finished second in AL Cy Young voting last season after going 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA. Has a 2.95 ERA this season. Relief pitchers Félix Bautista, Baltimore: It would take a slew of prospects to get him, but Bautista has thrown 161 innings in the majors and struck out 248 to go with a 2.01 ERA. David Bednar, Pittsbugh: A two-time All-Star who has rebounded from a terrible 2024 season (5.77 ERA), Bednar would probably cost the least, as far as prospects go, in a trade. Led the league with 39 saves in 2023. Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland: Had one of the best seasons ever by a closer last season (4-2, 47 saves, 0.61 ERA, 39 hits and 10 walks in 74.1 innings) but is having his worst season this year, if you can call 5-2, 22 saves and a 2.80 ERA 'worst.' Jhoan Durán, Minnesota: His fastball averages 100 mph. Had an off year last season (3.64 ERA), but has rebounded, posting a 1.94 ERA and 15 saves in 46.1 innings, giving up 37 hits and 16 walks while striking out 51. Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay: He's 31, but has added velocity to his fastball this season. Ryan Helsley, St. Louis: Had 49 saves last season, but not quite as successful this season. 34 innings, 34 hits, 14 walks is not a shutdown reliever. Griffin Jax, Minnesota: Has struck out 68 in 44 innings, but also has a 4.09 ERA. His FIP is 2.07 though, so he has been a bit unlucky. Cade Smith, Cleveland: Only in his second season, he drew Cy Young votes as a rookie last year, when he struck out 103 in 75.1 innings. Has struck out 64 in 43.1 innings this season as the stup man for Clase. Could the Dodgers send over a package that could land them Clase, Smith and Kwan? They are one of the few teams that could. Outfielders Jarren Duran, Boston: Having an off season by his standards but finished eighth in MVP voting last season. Steven Kwan, Cleveland: A three-time Gold Glove in left who hits for average and draws walks. Cedric Mullins, Baltimore: He would give the Dodgers a true center fielder, but just an average bat. Hit 30 homers in 2021, but hasn't had more than 18 since. Luis Robert, Jr., Chicago White Sox: Good glove, and used to be able to hit, but not anymore. Hitting .206 this season. Continually linked to the Dodgers in trade rumors, but, well, let's hope not. Please note that this is not an all-encompassing list. It's mainly the names that have been linked to the Dodgers at one point over the last several weeks. It doesn't include players such as Jesús Sánchez, Bryan Reynolds or Mason Miller, who are also possibilities. And, time for the warning I give out every year: Don't fall for every rumor you see online. Some sites will try to lure you in with a headline such as 'Dodgers, Rays discuss Mookie Betts deal' when what happened was the Rays GM called the Dodgers and asked 'Any chance you will trade Mookie Betts?' And the Dodgers say 'No.' Technically, they discussed a Betts deal, but did they really? If you want to keep track of what's going on with the Dodgers, Jack Harris has it covered for us at Jack takes a look at the trade deadline here. For a broader picture, I recommend Shohei Ohtani homered in his fifth consecutive game Wednesday, tying the Dodger record. A look: Home runs in five consecutive games: Ohtani, July 19-23, 2025 (five home runs total)Max Muncy, Aug. 15-21, 2019 (five)Joc Pederson, May 31-June 3, 2015 (five)Adrián González, Sept. 27, 2014-April 8, 2015 (seven)Matt Kemp, Sept. 28-Oct. 3, 2010 (five)Shawn Green, July 21-25, 2001 (five)Roy Campanella, June 11-17, 1950 (five) A Dodger has homered in four straight games 35 times, including four times by Duke Snider and twice by Pedro Guerrero, Matt Kemp, Gary Sheffield and Reggie Smith. Rich Hill, a fan favorite when he pitched for the Dodgers back when Gerald Ford was president, signed with the Kansas City Royals and gave up only one run in five innings of his first start. Hill, 45, is pitching for his 14th majors league team, tying the record set by former Dodger top prospect Edwin Jackson. Hill has played for: AngelsBaltimoreBostonChicago CubsClevelandDodgersKansas CityMinnesotaNY MetsNY YankeesOaklandPittsburghSan DiegoTampa Bay Players to play for 13 teams*Octavio Dotel 12 teams*Mike MorganMatt StairsRon Villone 11 teams*Paul BakoMiguel Batista*Henry BlancoBruce ChenRoyce ClaytonBartolo ColonJoe GerhardtLaTroy Hawkins*Kenny Lofton*Deacon McGuire*Terry Mulholland*Dennys ReyesFernando RodneyJulian Tavarez*Gus WeyhringRick White*Todd Zeile *-played for the Dodgers The Dodgers are 6-11 this month. Have they had any months where they finished .500 or worse since their postseason streak began in 2013? Months at .500 or worse by the Dodgers since 2013: May, 2013, 10-17, .370July, 2025: 7-11, .389September, 2017: 12-17, .414April, 2018: 11-14, .440September, 2013, 12-15, .444July, 2024: 11-13, .458April, 2016: 12-13, .480May, 2018: 14-14, .500May, 2014: 15-15, .500June, 2015: 15-15, .500June, 2023: 12-12, .500 Note: This does not include short months (March or October) when they may have gone 0-1 or 2-3. Friday: Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 1-1, 4.41 ERA) at Boston (Brayan Bello, 6-4, 3.23 ERA), 4:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 Saturday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 4-1, 3.27 ERA) at Boston (*Garrett Crochet, 11-4, 2.19 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 Sunday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 0-0, 1.50 ERA) at Boston (Walker Buehler, 6-6, 5.72 ERA), 10:35 a.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 *-left-handed Beyond the bullpen, how aggressive will the Dodgers be at the MLB trade deadline? Dodgers put Tanner Scott on IL, but hopeful he returns this season Rich Hill isn't finished yet. Former Dodgers and Angels player will pitch for his 14th MLB team Hernández: 'Still a threat.' Why Shohei Ohtani needs to remain a two-player for Dodgers From a day off to the leadoff spot, Dodgers try unraveling mystery of Mookie Betts' slump The Dodgers score five runs in the second inning of Game 2 of the 1988 World Series, including a key homer by Mike Marshall. Watch and listen here. Have a comment or something you'd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
