Lesson From NBA Icon Helped Mookie Betts In Return To Boston

Mookie Betts was calm, cool and collected over the weekend when he returned to his old stomping grounds.

Betts was emotional about playing in Boston, where he spent the first six years of his Major League Baseball career and won a World Series in 2018. The superstar outfielder admitted as much Friday night after he received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at Fenway Park.

But Betts didn’t let those emotions hamper his play. The National League MVP candidate went 7-for-15 with a home run, two doubles, four RBIs and five runs scored across three games against the Red Sox, and he was a huge reason why the Dodgers were able to claim the interleague series.

The 30-year-old always has been rather composed on the field, but compartmentalizing emotions was something he mastered with the help of Kobe Bryant. Betts saluted the late Lakers legend after the Dodgers’ win Sunday.

“Obviously, the emotions are there. I let them come but I also let them go,” Betts told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “He (Bryant) kind of explained that to me and I kind of put it into my repertoire.”

The Dodgers will look for Betts to keep playing with ice in his veins for the remainder of the season. Los Angeles is a legitimate World Series contender, and it could be bound for a heavyweight bout against the Atlanta Braves for the NL pennant.