Mookie Betts in 2020 became the first player to:
Homer.
Steal two bases.
Score two runs.
All in the same contest.
Betts playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opening contest, helped his team to an 8-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Sure, Clayton Kershaw went six strong, allowed just one run on two hits, and fanned eight...But he needed some offence, right? Just to be on the safe side? Or all bets are off?
Mookie, you see, had played in a Fall Classic two years prior versus the Dodgers. In 2018, Betts was on the Boston Red Sox team that overcame Los Angeles in just five games. But Mookie didn't contribute much, hitting just .217 in the World Series of '18.
Well, all bets were probably on Los Angeles in this game. Kershaw survived an early scare in the top of the first at Globe Life Field, with LA as the "home" team. Betts lead off for the Dodgers in the bottom of the frame, but just grounded out. In the bottom of the third, Tyler Glasnow fanned him. This was hardly shaping up to be a historic night for Mookie.
By the bottom of the fifth, his team was up, but just 2-1. Mookie drew a walk. He stole second, and another bases on balls put two on with nobody out. Glasnow fanned Justin Turner, but Betts swiped third! A fielder's choice and a single would score both baserunners. A nice 4-1 cushion for the "home" team. And they'd add two more runs before the inning was over. The Dodgers were up 6-1 and in the driver's seat.
Betts led off the bottom of the sixth. And if you're keeping track of Mookie, he'd led off an inning three times at this point. He put an exclamation point on a great night with a solo home run. That made it 7-1. First pitching swinging, too.
LA added another run, before Tampa sort of recovered. They got two runs of their own the very next frame to make it 8-3. Kershaw had departed after six.
But in the eight inning, LA was looking for more. Mookie got his second hit of a game, a single. But Corey Seager hit into a double play. A walk and another single put two more on, but nothing came of it.
It didn't matter at this point. The Los Angeles Dodgers were on their way to an impressive win. Tampa was not discouraged, and stole game two (Taking an early 5-0 lead and hanging on for a 6-4 win). Game three is tonight as we speak.
References
Cotillo, Chris. “Mookie Betts Homers, Makes World Series History for Dodgers in Game 1 vs. Rays.” Mass Live , Mass Live Media, 21 Oct. 2020, www.masslive.com/redsox/2020/10/mookie-betts-homers-makes-world-series-history-for-dodgers-in-game-1-vs-rays.html. Web. 23 Oct. 2020.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 23 Oct. 2020.
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