Mookie Betts spent the first six seasons of his big league career with the Boston Red Sox.
That gave Betts are first-hand view of a number of intangibles that come with wearing a Red Sox uniform. Winning a World Series in Boston, playing at Fenway Park, but perhaps none more adversarial than Boston’s historic rivalry with the Yankees.
Now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, which comes with the adopted West Coast rivalry with the San Diego Padres, Betts was asked a simple question on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball matchup between the two: Which rivalry is better? Boston-New York or Los Angeles-San Diego?
“That’s rough. That’s, that — that’s hard to choose,” Betts replied, per ESPN video. “I’ll say this: New York and Boston is definitely more hostile for sure. This one (Los Angeles and San Diego) has come a long way since I’ve been here but I’ve grown to love it.”
The 30-year-old All-Star has been involved in some heated moments, both in Boston and Los Angeles.
Back in 2018, Betts was in right field when former Boston teammate Joe Kelly plunked Tyler Austin, sparking a benches-clearing brawl at Fenway Park. Of course, the Red Sox delivered the ultimate blow, eliminating the Yankees from the American League Division Series in October, then winning the World Series.
Then in 2020, en route to Los Angeles’ World Series victory, the Dodgers celebrated a home run-robbing catch from Cody Bellinger, which hurt Padres infielder Manny Machado’s feelings. While no punches were thrown, Machado and the Dodgers exchanged a few non-family-friendly remarks to one another. Betts, jogging in from right field, partook in the action, waving Machado off and telling him to go back into San Diego’s dugout.
With Betts in Los Angeles for the next 10 years, there’s plenty of time to bolster the West Coast beef between both teams.
