The 2025 season has not been kind to Mookie Betts. But with one crucial swing, Betts turned around all of the bad feelings and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers force a Game 7 of the World Series.
Betts’ two-RBI single was the difference in Los Angeles’ 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre. This marks the first Game 7 of the World Series in six years, since the Washington Nationals won the final two games on the road to defeat the Houston Astros.
### Mookie Betts Stepped Up To Meet The Moment
Betts has been candid about his struggles throughout this season. The converted shortstop finished the 2025 regular season with a .732 OPS, far below his career .881 average, as he adjusted to a new position while trying to perform up to his career numbers at the plate.
“For me, it’s easy to separate [hitting and defense] because shortstop is so hard,” Betts told FOX Sports after the game. “Hitting is obviously really hard, so you have to be in that, but playing short you can’t go back and forth, so [separating the two] is easy because it’s so hard if that makes sense.”
During the World Series, Betts slumped through a 3-for-24 stretch, including a second-inning ground out to third base in Game 6. But with two outs and the Dodgers ahead 1-0, Betts laced a 1-2 fastball to left field that boosted the Dodgers’ advantage to 3-0. This became Betts’ first RBIs of the World Series, which he achieved by following the advice of his wife, Brianna.
“Honestly, I know [this year] hasn’t been great for me,” Betts said. “I just want to be there to help the boys, and I came up in a big spot. My wife tells me all the time, just stay in the moment. Just be ready for the next moment… and I was just able to find a way to lock in.”
It was Betts’ only hit in three at-bats in Game 6, yet starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, along with relievers Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow, made those runs hold up, leaving Betts as the hero.
### Mookie Betts Believes In Shohei Ohtani If He Starts Game 7
With Glasnow picking up his first save at any level, the hard-throwing right-hander is likely no longer the probable starter for the Dodgers in Game 7. Glasnow started the marathon Game 3, which put him in line for the do-or-die game.
Following Glasnow in the Dodgers’ rotation is Shohei Ohtani, who could have the chance to redeem himself after taking the loss in LA’s 6-2 defeat on October 28.
Betts is confident in the presumed MVP, even though Ohtani will take the mound on three days’ rest—something he has never done before. Still, Betts feels Ohtani pitching Game 7 and carrying the Dodgers to their second straight World Series championship would be the perfect cap to his fairytale two-year tenure in Dodger blue.
“I feel like the way Shohei’s life is set up, it’s just destiny,” Betts said. “Every time, the perfect situation comes up and he succeeds. So tomorrow, Game 7, how could you draw it up any differently? I feel like this is the perfect moment for him.
“He was made for this moment, and I’m glad he’s on our team and we don’t have to go up against him.”
https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/mookie-betts-huge-hit-helps-dodgers-force-game-7-of-world-series/