Frugal Gambler? Mookie Betts Post-Red Sox World Series Story Revealed
Can you really blame Betts?
After the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series, former Boston teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez took to Las Vegas to celebrate, making one hilarious (and relatable) gambling story.
That tale came to light when Martinez made a guest appearance on the “On-Base with Mookie Betts” podcast, presented by Bleacher Report. The Sin City memory included everything a good gambling story needs: celebrities, big-dollar bets, and of course, a breaking arbitration deal with the Red Sox.
“(In) 2018, we win the World Series. Me and Mook, we’re peaking right now. We go to Vegas, stars align, we come across, we get to gamble, we get to hang out with Drake,” Martinez recalled. “… Go to the table, we’re playing baccarat and I’m sitting there, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
“… As we’re sitting down, everyone’s just, their phones are going off that Mookie signed an arbitration deal, for $27 million dollars. And I got about like $2,500 on me or like three grand on me at the time. So I pull it out, I said, ‘Color me up.’ … Drakes over here betting 80 grand a hand, these guys are betting 300 grand a hand. My man Mook, pulls out $100, and says, ‘Color me up,’ asks for five $20 chips.”
There aren’t many who can compete with Drake at the blackjack table on any given night, therefore, it’s not hard to understand Betts’ perspective, regardless of what Martinez says.
“Listen, there was no way I could keep up with them. $80,000, $300,000,” Betts explained when justifying his case. “The limit was not $20.”
Now with $365 million, Betts has plenty of flexibility to be a big baller whenever he and Martinez decide to make their next trip to Las Vegas. But it’s likely the two, who are heading to the postseason yet again, will wait until Los Angeles wraps up its World Series hunt.
