As fans have come to expect, the Los Angeles Dodgers had yet another incredible regular season in 2023, winning 100 games en route to claiming their 10th NL West crown in 11 seasons. Moreover, Mookie Betts had yet another stellar season that, in any other year, would have netted him another MVP award. These things tend to write themselves. And in another predictable outcome, the Dodgers ended up faltering miserably in the playoffs once more, with their World Series hopes getting dashed in an NLDS sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks, a division rival that won 16 fewer games.

But what few expected to witness was a total NLDS meltdown from Betts, arguably the Dodgers' best hitter. In 693 regular season plate appearances, Betts hit 39 home runs and drove in 107 runs while hitting for a .987 OPS. But in the playoffs, that big of a sample size does not matter. In 12 plate appearances, the Dodgers star failed to get a hit and he got on base just once — and until today, the 31-year old right fielder is ruing the fact that he played the worst baseball of his season at the worst possible time.

“When I didn’t show up, I didn’t do anything to help the team. I take great pride in doing what I can to help the team. But I also had a pretty good stretch… obviously not when it mattered. I gotta show up when it matters,” Betts told reporters, via Dodger Blue on YouTube.

Indeed, it could have gone a long way for the Dodgers had Mookie Betts played at his more typical level when the lights were at their brightest. Betts has a history of turning up in the postseason anyway, and combined with the lessons he learned from 2023, he should be more than prepared to deliver when he gets his shot at redemption.

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“You give yourself a couple days and move on. I got kids, I got a wife, I got a life. I can’t let it derail my life. Obviously it sucks, and I’m going to think about it and figure out what I can do better. But I also have kids to go back home to, and I can’t do that to him,” Betts added.

“I’m not one to sit there and sulk on it all day, cause I can’t change it. The only thing I can do is move forward and figure out how I’m going to do better next time.”