Mookie Betts is on track to become a Hall of Famer after just eight seasons in the league. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is having another standout season and has helped lead his team to the best record in MLB. The former Boston Red Sox outfielder moved to Los Angeles at the start of the 2020 season and continues to put up big numbers.
At 29 years old, Betts is already a six-time All-Star and an American League MVP. He also has two World Series titles to his name. Mookie Betts will now join Team USA at the World Baseball Classic in 2023, looking to add another championship to his resume.
The USA will join 19 other countries in March 2023 to defend their 2017 title. Several players have already committed to the national team, including former MVPs Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, and Mookie Betts.
Unlike Trout and Harper, though, Betts already has two rings: World Series championships with the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fans online are now debating the validity of Betts' ring with the Dodgers.
There is no doubting Betts' role in the Red Sox 2018 championship. He was an integral part of Alex Cora's team that defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1. The Red Sox won 108 games that regular season and dominated the American League East. During the World Series, Betts contributed with a home run, an RBI, and five runs in five games.
The ring in question, however, is the 2020 World Series Betts won with the Dodgers organization. Fans have been debating the validity of that championship for years after the season was cut short to 60 games amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
For a while, it seemed as if the season would be canceled. Fans (myself included) were getting their baseball fix by watching the Korean Baseball League.
Teams were forced to shorten Spring Training. The Toronto Blue Jays played in Buffalo, New York, due to Canadian government regulations. All of the above factors have fans doubting the integrity of the competition that year.
Mookie Betts was a key figure for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their 2020 World Series triumph
The MLB season was eventually played from July 23 to September 27, 2020. Many believe that without a full 162-game season, there should be an asterisk beside the Dodgers 2020 World Series victory.
After a 43-17 regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers went on to win the World Series 4-2 over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Dodgers fans have been quick to respond to critics online. For them, the 2020 championship is as equally valued as any of their other seven championships.
Playing for his country will be another honor in Mookie Betts' already illustrious career. With the Dodgers running away with the National League West this season, they have a shot at reaching their fourth World Series in six seasons. It is very possible that Betts will have another ring before attending the the World Baseball Classic in March.