This weekend will be a reunion of sorts for former Red Sox players when the Los Angeles Dodgers come to Boston for a weekend set at Fenway Park beginning Friday night. While excited to return to the place he called home for the first six seasons of his MLB career, Mookie Betts is also nervous about going back.
Betts played a pivotal role in 2018 for the Red Sox, helping them to a franchise-best 108 regular-season wins before beating the Dodgers in the World Series. The All-Star outfielder won a Gold Glove — and ended up winning the award four consecutive times — and a Silver Slugger that year, became a leader and one of their best overall players. Betts even earned the American League MVP Award in 2018.
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Friday will mark the first time Betts will be back at Fenway Park since the trade that sent him to Los Angeles in February 2020. He discussed how he feels with now-teammate and former Red Sox outfielder Kiké Hernández during Bleacher Report’s latest episode of “On Base With Mookie Betts.”
“This will be my first time going back since 2019. I’m really nervous,” Betts told Hernández. “Like, I’m really nervous. It’s more just that I haven’t been back in so long. It’s where I grew up, and I don’t know what to expect. Hopefully it’s cool, though. I think it will be fun. I’ma go in there and see the (new Red Sox) clubhouse. The clubhouse is new, a lot of new things, a lot of new faces. I’m more excited to see the people, though. The people are what I remember the most.”
Betts asked Hernández for advice, who reassured Betts that he believes everything is going to be just fine.
“I think you’re gonna be filled with love,” he said. “The locker room is nice. The visiting locker room, you’ve never been in, is not so nice. But the home new side is nice. I can tell those fans love you, they still do. I saw lot of No. 50 jerseys still every day. So, they miss you, bro. You did a lot for that team.”
Betts made it no secret about wanting to test the free agent market after the 2019 season. It was going to be the first time he’d be able to do so, and with the career he had in Boston — especially 2018 — he wanted to see what kind of deal was out there.
His commitment to the Red Sox beyond 2019 was also often brought into question. He ended up getting traded in a deal that brought Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong to Boston. Jeter Downs was also involved in the trade, but he’s now part of the Washington Nationals after getting designated for assignment by the Red Sox last December.
Betts never reached free agency, either. He signed a 12-year, $365 million extension after winning the World Series with the Dodgers in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.
Betts has said time and time again he wanted to stay in Boston. And had he been offered the same deal as the Dodgers gave him, he would have stayed.
The wait will soon be over for fans to see Betts at Fenway. While they won’t see J.D. Martinez after he was placed on the injured list, fans will see other ex-Red Sox players including Hernández and Ryan Brasier.
