How Mookie Betts recovered in Game 6 of the 2025 World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers' players arrived at Rogers Centre for their late-afternoon exercise on Thursday after flying here late Wednesday night, hours before their coaches did. Mookie Betts, however, didn't waste any time. He had called Alex Call to feed baseballs onto a tee so he could repeatedly hit them into the netting of a batting cage before the majority of his teammates had a chance to change out of their street clothes.

When a slump sets in, Betts' only option is to try to swing his way out of it. He finds solace in his work but contentment can only come from achievement. And it usually means more when it does come as it did in the early going of Game 6 when Betts hit the two-run single that sealed a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and saved the season.

Miguel Rojas an infielder for the Dodgers stated He's really hard on himself and he shouldn't be because he's still a superstar and a guy who's going to end up in the Hall of Fame. However, I believe that he lives in the present. I'm simply glad he had a great night and got the huge hit. I'm positive that will benefit him in the future.

Betts was 3-for-23 in this World Series following another hitless showing in Wednesday's Game 5 defeat. He then spoke to a group of reporters outside his locker and gave the witty remark that went viral on social media. His words, "I've just been terrible,"

He then started working.

In order to "let his natural talent take over," Betts worked on finding a more stable hitting position for the majority of Thursday's practice, according to Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc. The goal, according to Betts, was to "get back to being athletic again in the batter's box."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Betts, who had been his No. 2 hitter all season, that he would bat cleanup in Game 6—a position he hadn't held since 2017—before they departed Rogers Centre that evening.

When Betts remarked, I told him he can hit me seventh "I just want to win."

With the Dodgers season on the line Roberts wanted Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Shohei Ohtani to have the most plate appearances while still allowing Betts to get opportunities to drive in runs. There was never a chance to bat him lower.

Roberts declared, "I'm going to, as they say, ride or die with him." "I refuse to flee from Mookie Betts. He is simply too skilled a player.

He demonstrated this on Friday in the top of the third inning against Kevin Gausman, who used his splitter to silence the Dodgers' batters for the majority of the first two innings. Gausman's sixth and seventh strikeouts were separated by a double from Tommy Edman, and the Blue Jays then purposefully walked Ohtani. Betts, who came to the at-bat looking for fastballs, had two on with two out after Freeman took a walk and Smith doubled to score the Dodgers' first run. Betts swung through a fastball and fouled off another after taking a 1-0 splitter for a strike. After a game-ending double play, Gausman delivered a third consecutive fastball, this one slightly up and slightly in, and Betts lined it to left center, giving the Dodgers a lead that held.

When Betts said, "It felt great to come through for the boys," Naturally, I would love to perform well for myself, but that isn't really important. For the lads, I want to perform well. Everyone in there is someone I love. I am aware of how dependent we are on one another. And I want to be there for them when they need me."

Betts saw the most offensive setbacks of his career early in the season as he adjusted to becoming an everyday shortstop and tried to recuperate from the crippling virus that caused him to lose nearly 20 pounds. He was only slashing.240/.313/.369 at the end of July. It appeared as though Betts would remain locked in throughout October until he quickly turned it around, slashing.294/.351/.478 over the last two months of the regular season.

However, Betts' bat slowed once more. And even if the Dodgers' offense as a whole was struggling, Betts took it harder than most.

"He takes it really hard when he's not performing as well as he can," said Edman, "and he just does everything he can to get out of it."

Edman has witnessed it previously. In an effort to force himself to break out of his 0-for-22 playoff slump, Betts locked himself inside the Petco Park batting cage on a day off during the National League Division Series a little over a year ago. One staffer joked that Betts took a million swings on that crucial off day in San Diego before breaking out of it and riding that wave to a 1.019 OPS during his last 14 postseason games that year, leading the Dodgers to a title.

In Toronto, Betts jokingly remarked, "it was more like 500,000."

Maybe he can back off now. The Dodgers will have Tyler Glasnow available, Ohtani on short rest, and possibly Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki joining them in Game 7 because everything is on the line. Knowing that they have overcome similar obstacles in the past—most notably riding a bullpen game to salvage their season in that same series against San Diego last year—will give them comfort. Additionally, they think they'll have the best Betts available to them, based on recent history.

"I'm just happy for him," Van Scoyoc stated, "that he can have a little peace and sleep a little bit better and come in fresh and help us win another game."