Steve Webb
CINCINNATI — In the Dodgers’ series finale with the Reds on Sunday, Mookie Betts showed once again why he’s a great face of the Dodgers on and off the field. It cost him a bat, but he thrilled a fan and gave a rookie a souvenir for his trophy case.
It started when Reds rookie TJ Friedl ripped the first pitch from Tony Gonsolin deep into the right field seats in the bottom of the sixth inning. It cut the Dodgers’ lead to 6-2, but more importantly for Friedl, it was his first-ever big league hit. Of course, if the ball is hit on the field of play, it would have been immediately removed from the game, authenticated by MLB, and set aside for Friedl to take home to mom.
But when your first hit is also a home run, all bets are off. It’s the fan’s property once it goes into the crowd, and it’s up to the team to negotiate for its safe return. This time, instead of a Reds’ rep doing the talking, Dodgers’ right fielder Mookie Betts took matters into his own hands. Before the inning was over, he got the attention of the fan who caught the ball and got it back for Friedl. Then, when he returned to his position in the seventh, he came bearing gifts. He had one of his distinctive axe-handle bats with him and gave it to the grateful fan in right field.
Once again, Betts proves that he is not only one of the best ballplayers in the big leagues, he is also one of the most generous.
Upon closer inspection, we see that Mookie took the time to autograph the bat for the fan, and beneath the signature, he put what must be a favorite scripture reference. For those of you wondering, it’s Romans 8:31. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Indeed…
