After having to face tough questions following a disappointing performance in the first two games of the NLDS, Mookie Betts has come alive for the Dodgers.
This time, Mookie Betts did not take a hard left-hand turn between first and second base and start jogging toward the third-base dugout in Petco Park.
One night after the Dodgers right fielder thought he was robbed of another home run by San Diego Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, a misunderstanding that resulted in an awkward trot that included a U-turn from the back of the mound to second base, Betts took a more traditional route around the bases in the first inning Wednesday night.
That’s because there was little doubt his 401-foot shot off Padres starter Dylan Cease would clear the center-field fence, the homer setting the tone for an 8-0 National League Division Series Game 4 victory over the Padres that tied the best-of-five series at two games apiece and set up a winner-take-all Game 5 in Dodger Stadium Friday night.
“When you come on the road, you can’t just book a homer or a crooked number in the first inning — hitting is still hard,” Roberts said. “But for us to strike first, to get to Cease early, to get to their bullpen, obviously it gave us momentum. And it started with Mookie right there.”
It did not end there for Betts, who followed Shohei Ohtani’s two-out RBI single in the top of the second by slapping reliever Bryan Hoeing’s first pitch into right field for a clutch RBI single and a 3-0 Dodgers lead.
It marked the second straight game in which Betts hit a home run and a single in his first two at-bats, though his two-hit effort on Tuesday night came in a 6-5 Game 3 loss.
