Mookie Betts' Clutch Hit Saves Dodgers' Season, Forces Game 7

In the pressure-cooker environment of an elimination World Series game, superstars are expected to deliver when it matters most. For Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers, that moment arrived in Game 6 against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Betts breaking out of a significant slump to deliver the season-saving hit that forced a decisive Game 7.

The Slump and the Work Ethic

Entering Game 6, Betts was mired in a 3-for-23 World Series performance that had seen the normally prolific hitter struggle to find his rhythm at the plate. Following another hitless performance in Game 5, Betts didn't mince words about his struggles, telling reporters, "I've just been terrible." Rather than dwelling on the disappointment, Betts immediately went to work, arriving early at Rogers Centre for Thursday's workout and spending extensive time in the batting cage with teammate Alex Call feeding him baseballs.

This dedication to working through slumps is characteristic of Betts' approach to the game. As Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas noted, "He's really hard on himself, and he shouldn't be because he's still a superstar and he's still a guy who's going to end up in the Hall of Fame. But I think living in the moment for him is really big." The work in the cage focused on finding more stability and a comfortable hitting position that would allow Betts' natural talent to take over.

The Game-Changing Moment

With the Dodgers' season hanging in the balance, manager Dave Roberts made a strategic move by slotting Betts into the cleanup spot for the first time since 2017. Roberts explained his reasoning, stating, "I'm going to, as they say, ride or die with him. I'm not going to run from Mookie Betts. He's just too good of a player." The move paid dividends in the third inning when Betts came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded against Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman.

After Tommy Edman's double and intentional walks to Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, Betts found himself in the exact situation the Dodgers needed. Despite falling behind in the count, Betts remained focused on looking for fastballs. When Gausman delivered his third consecutive fastball, Betts lined it to left field, driving in two runs that would ultimately provide the winning margin in the 3-1 victory.

Historical Context and Team Impact

This isn't the first time Betts has worked his way out of a significant postseason slump. As detailed in ESPN's coverage, Betts famously locked himself in the Petco Park batting cage during the 2024 NLDS, taking what one staffer joked was "a million swings" to break out of an 0-for-22 postseason slump. That dedication paid off with a 1.019 OPS over his final 14 playoff games that year, helping push the Dodgers to a championship.

Teammate Tommy Edman has witnessed Betts' determination firsthand, noting, "He takes it really hard when he's not performing as well as he can, and he just does everything he can to get out of it." This time around, Betts joked that his Toronto cage work amounted to "more like 500,000" swings, demonstrating both his work ethic and his ability to maintain perspective under pressure.

Looking Ahead to Game 7

With the series now tied at three games apiece, the Dodgers head into Game 7 with renewed confidence and their season once again on the line. The team plans to start Shohei Ohtani on short rest, with Tyler Glasnow available and potentially Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki following them. More importantly, they'll have the comfort of knowing they've overcome similar challenges before and now have a rejuvenated Mookie Betts ready to contribute.

As hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc expressed after Game 6, "I'm just happy for him that he can have a little peace and sleep a little bit better and come in fresh and help us win another game." For Betts and the Dodgers, that peace came at exactly the right moment, turning potential elimination into an opportunity for back-to-back championships.