Mookie Betts already is making a really, really good impression on his new team.
The All-Star outfielder was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February, and reportedly impressed his teammates with a speech about holding everyone accountable for their efforts.
Betts knows what it’s like to win a World Series, having been part of the historic 2018 season with Boston. And he wants to feel that again with the Dodgers.
His message was simple: You’re not going to be a World Series champion if you don’t start playing like one in spring training.
“I thought it was awesome, a great message,” Dodgers outfielder A.J. Pollock said, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “It definitely impacted our camp. The intensity went up right after that. He’s treating every ground ball, every fly ball, like it’s Game 7 of the World Series, and there are ramifications if you mess it up.
“I mean, it’s easy to come to spring training and glide in here, but he said we need to treat everything like its Game 7 of the World Series, so when we get to the World Series, it’s going to feel just like it’s another day at the office.”
LA lost back-to-back World Series in 2017 and 2018. So between that and Betts’ message, we’re sure the team will be a bit more fired up come Opening Day.
