It’s no secret that Mookie Betts has struggled within the postseason for the reason that 2022 Nationwide League Division Sequence towards the San Diego Padres.
Betts was undoubtedly feeling the stress.
Within the first two video games of the sequence, he went 0-for-6, extending his postseason stoop to a brutal 0-for-22 and simply 3-for-44 total. Though his teammate Kiké Hernández insists that one postseason doesn’t carry over into the subsequent, it positive seemed like Betts’ struggles had been persevering with — till he flipped the script in Video games 3 and 4, going 4-for-9 with two house runs.
For a hitter caught in a stoop, nothing comes simple.
Betts had an nearly comical stretch of unhealthy luck, sending balls over the left-field wall in three straight video games however almost strolling away with only one house run to point out for it.
On Monday, Betts’ off-day exercise consisted of 300-400 swings. His new teammate Tommy Edman seen how arduous the outfielder labored and couldn’t assist however be in awe of him.
“He’s one of many hardest-working guys I’ve ever performed with,” Edman stated to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “There shall be instances when he’ll be taking a bunch of swings within the cage and I’m like, ‘Dude, your swing seems to be nice to me.’ And he’s like, ‘Nah, it doesn’t really feel proper.’ His normal is simply so excessive.”
Some may name him a perfectionist however Betts is aware of when one thing is off and is keen to do no matter it takes to get it proper.
“Just about as quickly as I get to the park I’m within the cage and I don’t depart till I am going again on the sector,” Betts stated. “And I come again inside and I hit some extra.”
Betts admits {that a} huge a part of the wrestle — possibly the largest half — is psychological. Teoscar Hernández identified that Betts was urgent, chasing hits to bump up his season stats as an alternative of simply specializing in having high quality at-bats and making stable contact. Unsurprisingly, issues solely obtained worse from there.
Betts has discovered his rhythm within the final two video games.
“With him, it’s at all times been, when it clicks, we all know immediately,” hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc stated to Rosenthal.
Picture Credit score: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Photographs
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