Mookie Betts strengthened his MVP case Wednesday by doing something no Boston Red Sox player has done in seven years.
With his steal of second base in the second inning, his 30th of the season, Betts became the first Red Sox player since Jacoby Ellsbury in 2011 to record 30 stolen bases and 30 home runs in a season.
Betts is actually the second player to register a 30-30 year this season. Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez — also considered an MVP candidate — currently has 38 home runs and 33 stolen bases. Betts and Ramirez are responsible for the first 30-30 seasons since 2012 when both Ryan Braun and Mike Trout achieved the milestone.
For Betts, it’s the latest in a long line of achievements this season. He entered the day leading the league in batting average, slugging percentage, runs and extra-base hits. He also sits atop the WAR rankings for both Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, while his 10.7 bWAR ranks third all-time in Red Sox single-season history behind some guys named Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams.
