“The year Mookie Betts cheated?”; “Never should have traded him” - Fans react as Dodgers outfielder recalls 2018 as career-highlight season

The Los Angeles Dodgers are aiming for a second consecutive World Series title and they will be relying on one of their MVPs, Mookie Betts, to lead the team to the remarkable feat.

Betts, who arrived in Los Angeles in 2020 after a surprise trade from the Boston Red Sox, has been the backbone of the team over the last few seasons. While the Dodgers star is on the cusp of a third World Series title with the team, he hailed his 2018 season with the Red Sox as his best.

Following the Dodgers' sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, Betts was asked if this was the most satisfying year of his career, given that he had made a position change. He answered:

“No, no, absolutely not. I would say ’18 is probably the most satisfying year.”

Betts, who won his first World Series title with Boston in 2018 and was named the American League MVP, explained the reason.

Fans reacted to Betts' response on social media.

"The year he cheated?"

"They never should’ve traded him."

"This man should still be a Red Sox. It’s a shame all the greats John Henry has fumbled away."

"The question was asked from a personal performance pov, bro was on another planet in 18 so makes sense."

"We should still have him. Shame on John Henry for not paying him."

Mookie Betts gets honest about his relationship with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts

Mookie Betts will be looking for his third title with the Dodgers when they square off against the Blue Jays in the Fall Classic. Ahead of the marquee clash, Betts talked about his relationship with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

“You know, he had my respect from the very beginning," Betts said. "So coming over, I mean, he had already won, won a lot before I even got here. So, I think we just see a lot of things alike. We’re both just driven to want to win.

"We’re both here for a long time here together, so it was only a matter of time before we developed a close relationship. It really happened pretty fast. I’m super happy that he’s like my mentor-slash-dad-slash-coach-slash-everything and he’ll be that for life.”

Betts made the switch to shortstop this season after six Gold Glove-winning seasons as an outfielder. His seamless transition highlighted his defensive qualities in the infield.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash