The Red Sox were trending on Twitter during Game 7 of the NLCS.
Why were the Boston Red Sox trending on social media Sunday night when they haven’t played a game in weeks? We can thank Mookie Betts for that.
Betts made another amazing defensive play to save the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NLCS. Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman hammered a ball deep to right field that appeared destined to clear the fence. Betts tracked the ball as he was gliding back toward the wall and made a leaping catch to rob Freeman of a home run.
MOOKIE AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/SlSttMLcVj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 19, 2020
A solo shot would have increased Atlanta’s lead to two runs in the fifth inning. Instead, it remained a one-run game. The Dodgers rallied with home runs by Kike Hernandez in the sixth and Cody Bellinger in the seventh to secure a 4-3 victory.
Bellinger’s dramatic game-winner would have merely tied the game if it weren’t for the game-changing defensive play from Betts. Who knows what would have happened if Game 7 went into extra-innings. The Dodgers might not be on their way to the World Series if it weren’t for the glove of Betts.
For Dodgers fans, this web gem is a highlight they will fondly remember as a key reason why their team is advancing to the Fall Classic. For Red Sox fans, it’s a painful reminder of what they are missing. Many of those fans took to Twitter during last night’s game to vent their frustration or question why Red Sox ownership didn’t view Betts as a player worth keeping at any cost.
Unwilling to shell out the massive contract extension that Betts was demanding, the Red Sox traded the former MVP to the Dodgers back in February. The move was met with severe backlash from fans who were devastated that ownership dumped their best player in order to slash payroll.
Of course, the reality of the situation is a bit more complicated. Yes, the Red Sox were eager to dip under the luxury tax threshold to reset the penalties and the Betts trade allowed them to do so. Boston could have found another path to cutting the necessary payroll though. We know this since they tried to lock up Betts with a $300 million offer. Betts wanted more and eventually he got it from the Dodgers, who inked him to a 12-year, $365 million extension on top of the $27 million he was already making in his final year of arbitration.
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Should the Red Sox have offered nearly $400 million to keep Betts in Boston? That’s debatable. He’s certainly worth that money now but there’s significant risk on the back end of that deal. The Dodgers are in a bigger market and have a cleaner future payroll, making that risk more tolerable than it would have been for any other team in baseball.
The Dodgers certainly aren’t regretting it at the moment. Betts didn’t exactly light it up at the plate during the NLCS, hitting only .269 with a .695 OPS in the seven-game series. He was 7-for-19 (.368) with five doubles and four RBI in the five games over the previous two postseason series though.
He’s also made several key defensive plays, including home run-robbing catches in Games 6 and 7 of the NLCS. Even when he doesn’t have it going with his bat, there are plenty of other ways that Betts can contribute.
The Dodgers haven’t won a championship in over 30 years. If Betts helps deliver their first World Series title since 1988, the trade will have been worthwhile no matter how the contract looks at the end.
Meanwhile, Red Sox fans suffered through one of the most miserable seasons in franchise history. Watching Betts win a ring wearing Dodger blue would rub salt in a wound that still feels fresh. It’s been about eight months since the blockbuster trade but considering the firestorm on social media last night, it’s clear fans haven’t gotten over it yet.