How Mookie Betts’ Mother’s Risky Move Ensured the Los Angeles Dodgers Star Could Score $365 Million Jackpot

Published 05/14/2023, 11:50 AM EDT

Mookie Betts has had a two-paced start to his 2023 season, batting 0.250, with eight homers, and 22 runs batted in. But back in 2018, Betts was named the American League MVP, when he was still with the Boston Red Sox, and had already made three All-Star appearances since his debut in 2014. In 2019, the Red Sox traded Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers and fans readily jumped to the conclusion that this was the second installment of the curse of the bambino, as the BoSox let a generationally brilliant player go.

But neither would Mookie Betts make his Red Sox debut nor would he ever play in Los Angeles if not for one person in his life – his mother, whose ambitions for her son helped write the shortstop/outfielders career.

How did Mookie Betts’ mom save his baseball career?

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As a kid, Mookie Betts was tiny. Tiny, but enthusiastic, energetic, and a kid who wanted to play every sport. Especially baseball.

But because of his size, many Little League teams turned Mookie down. As a result, Diana Benedict, Mookie’s mother, created her own Little League team. And Mookie never found out about this until he started playing for the BoSox.

.@mookiebetts bobblehead night wouldn't be complete without a first pitch by his mom and a homer by Mookie! pic.twitter.com/IagD539LO3
— MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2021

In conversation with Juan Toribio from the MLB, Mookie Betts spoke about her mother’s ambitious move when he was playing in the little leagues, and said that he didn’t know anything about it until he grew older.

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Mookie said, “I didn’t know any of this transpired until I got older. It wasn’t surprising at all. I know my mom, and she’s not going to take ‘no,’ for an answer. Especially when — anything that has to do with me, my mom definitely wasn’t going to take, ‘no,’ for an answer. She’s going to do whatever it takes. So when she told me she did that, it wasn’t surprising.”

Essentially, if not for Diana Benedict’s ambitious and persistent pursual of Mookie’s baseball career, the outfielder wouldn’t have been around today. Forget being among the greatest modern-day outfielders.

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Which is your favorite Mookie Betts moment until today? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Written by:

Mohsin Baldiwala is a seasoned MLB writer at EssentiallySports, currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Like many New Yorkers, Mohsin's introduction to baseball was through the storied New York Yankees' tales. However, after covering the sport for almost a year and getting closer to the game, Mohsin has shifted his MLB allegiance from the Pinstripes to Cleveland Guardians, influenced by skipper Tito.

Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra

How Mookie Betts’ Mother’s Risky Move Ensured the Los Angeles Dodgers Star Could Score $365 Million Jackpot

How did Mookie Betts’ mom save his baseball career?

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