LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts put in countless hours of work to become not just a competent major-league shortstop but one good enough to become a Gold Glove finalist and a Fielding Bible Award winner.
When asked about the possibility of winning a seventh Gold Glove in his career but the first at his new position, Betts said he “genuinely” didn’t care about that validation from the outside.
Being honored as the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award winner, however, was genuinely meaningful to him.
“I would say so,” Betts said at the press conference announcing his selection before Game 3 of the World Series on Monday at Dodger Stadium. “Just being recognized for something like this is really cool. As a family, we don’t really do a whole lot of things to be recognized for it. We just kind of do it out of the goodness of our hearts. But to be recognized is really nice.
“Especially after this year, going through all that I went through, the changes of moving (to shortstop) and not playing very well, just to know that my on-the-field things are irrelevant to this. … It’s just really cool. It’s really cool just to be able to hold up this award and to know that this had nothing to do with baseball.”
The Clemente Award is given each year to a player “who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
The award was created in 1971 after Clemente’s tragic death while on a humanitarian trip to Nicaragua. Betts is the fourth Dodger to win the award, joining Steve Garvey (1981), Clayton Kershaw (2012) and Justin Turner (2022).
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, joined by Clemente’s sons, Luis and Roberto, presented the award and praised Betts for the work he and his wife, Brianna, do through their 5050 Foundation.
“Mookie and Brianna were active in terms of supporting victims of the Los Angeles fires,” Manfred said. “They have been active in fighting hunger and homelessness here in Los Angeles. He donated youth sports equipment and funded a youth baseball tournament and sponsored youth teams in his hometown of Nashville.
“He was an ambassador to African American youth by engaging directly with them on Jackie Robinson Day as part of our programming and in club cultural heritage night. He brought numerous underserved youth to Dodgers games here at Dodger Stadium and has been active in visiting young people with health issues.
“When you play 162 times in 186 days, I don’t know quite how you have time to do all that, but Mookie, you’re a tribute to our game and this is a well-deserved award.”
NEVER FORGET
Dodgers fans let Toronto Blue Jays DH George Springer know they haven’t forgotten about the 2017 sign-stealing scandal in which he was involved as a member of the Houston Astros. Springer went 11 for 29 with five home runs against the Dodgers and was named World Series MVP that year.
He was booed vigorously during pregame introductions Monday and is certain to get booed during every at-bat at Dodger Stadium.
“I know he’s prepared for it. He’s been dealing with that for a long time. It kind of is what it is,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before Game 3. “I think the manager in me, I probably get more mad than he does because you always have this protective mode of your players.
“I don’t think it’s going to affect anything George is doing. George is arguably one of the best World Series performers in the history of the game. So I think that fans – they show their opinion or emotion, that’s fine. George has an unbelievable ability to keep himself focused and present on what he’s doing.”
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
During the 2018 World Series, President Donald Trump posted on his then Twitter account, criticizing Dodgers manager Dave Roberts’ pitching decisions. Now he has the Canadian government upset.
The plane carrying the Dodgers’ coaching staff and others ran into some trouble getting out of Toronto on Sunday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked about the delay when asked about it at that night’s workout, saying “I don’t know if there was intent or not. But, man, the international stuff was a bear.”
Roberts’ joke was taken by some as an accusation of gamesmanship by the Canadian government and Roberts had to respond before Game 3.
“I shouldn’t have said ‘intent,’” Roberts said Monday. “I love Canada. I made the mistake of saying ‘intent.’ It was a long day, a long trip. I’m very grateful to be in the World Series. And I shouldn’t have said ‘intent.’ I apologize sincerely.”
UP NEXT
Game 4 – Blue Jays (RHP Shane Bieber, 1-0, 4.38 ERA this postseason) at Dodgers (RHP Shohei Ohtani, 2-0, 2.25 ERA this postseason), Tuesday, 5 p.m., FOX (Ch. 11), 570 AM