Betts thought he was robbed by Profar AGAIN! But this time ...
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SAN DIEGO -- If you've seen the beginning to Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the Dodgers and Padres before, do not adjust your screens.
The thrilling first-inning play that got Game 2 of the NLDS off to a wild start replicated itself almost perfectly in Game 3 -- except for how it ended.
On Sunday night at Dodger Stadium, Mookie Betts hit a deep fly ball to left field that he, the raucous crowd and even the FS1 broadcast believed had left the yard. The only one who immediately knew the truth was Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar, who jumped to rob the would-be homer but delayed the reveal, much to the chagrin of those in the building.
It wasn't until after Betts had touched second base that he appeared to realize he was out, changing course with a slight shake of his head.
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The basic facts repeated themselves in Tuesday night's 6-5 Dodgers loss at Petco Park. Betts lifted a towering fly ball off Padres starter Michael King to the left-field corner and began to run the bases. Profar ranged back, reached the wall and leapt in an effort to reel in the ball.
D¨¦j¨¤ vu, indeed. Only this time, Profar came up empty-handed when he hit the ground.
ˇ°It was pretty close," he said. "It hit my glove.ˇ±
But Betts, assuming the worst, stopped well short of second base and turned toward the visitors' dugout. Like in Game 2, he seemed to be the last to realize what had actually happened.
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Betts' teammates emerged from the dugout, gesturing back toward the basepaths and second-base umpire Tripp Gibson, who was signaling for a home run. Even King, watching from the mound, pointed Betts in the right direction in a slightly bewildered fashion.
With that, Betts veered back on course and finished his trip around the bases for his first long ball in 72 postseason plate appearances.
"The way things have been going for Mookie, I think he just assumed that the guy made the play in left field," manager Dave Roberts said. "Fortunately, Profar didn't make that one."
The jump-start Betts' homer provided didn't last long, as the Padres plated six runs in the second inning and then held on after Teoscar Hern¨˘ndez's grand slam in the third to claim a 2-1 edge in the best-of-five NLDS.
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The solo blast ended a brutal postseason slump for Betts, who had not gotten a hit in the playoffs since Oct. 14, 2022 -- Game 3 of the NLDS against the Padres in San Diego. That span of 22 hitless at-bats was the fourth longest by a Dodger in postseason history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Only Chase Utley (30 at-bats, 2016-17), Cody Bellinger (24, 2017-18) and Gil Hodges (24, 1949-53) had endured longer stretches.
Betts' 2-for-4 night at the plate was an encouraging sign -- but he took no solace in a personal victory with his team one game away from elimination.
"Whatever. We lost. There's no personal goals out there right now," Betts said. "We just want to win a World Series. However we get there is how we get there, but the main thing is getting there."