Mookie Betts isn't running away from honesty about himself during the World Series. He's expressed the offensive struggles he and the Los Angeles Dodgers are enduring against the Toronto Blue Jays. But his words earned the respect of one former WS winning player.
A.J. Pierzynski took Betts' side on Thursday during his appearance on Foul Territory. The 2005 champ with the Chicago White Sox bluntly stated how L.A.'s offense has “gone away.” But he shared how he loved Betts for being blunt about himself.
“I respect the hell out of someone who stands in front of cameras in a city like LA, in the World Series, and says, I've been terrible, I need to figure it out,” Pierzynski said. “Good for you Mookie.”
Pierzynski and Betts are past teammates on the Boston Red Sox from 2014.
Mookie Betts' World Series struggles sparks reaction from Dodgers manager
Betts has delivered three hits total, but through 23 at-bat attempts and is batting below .289 this series.
The shortstop even struggled in the epic Game 3 contest that stretched 18 innings, with Betts hitting the ball once on eight attempts. He even earned opportunities to send Shohei Ohtani home on the winning RBI — only to hit a pop out or fly out. Toronto has struck him out twice during the WS — in games one and five.
Dave Roberts trusted Betts to become third in the batting order ahead of Wednesday's game. Now the two-time championship winning skipper identified where Betts' struggles lie.
“I think he's pressing,” Roberts said about Betts. “I think you can see there's a little anxiousness there.”
Betts is hitting at a dismal .130 throughout the WS series. He's officially the one Dodgers hitting star facing the most pressure to continue L.A.'s slimmer title hopes in play. He's admitted his flaws to reporters, except L.A. fans want to see results come Halloween.
