Mookie Betts wasn’t fooled again.
In a play that was a near carbon copy of the one that sparked the Game 2 drama between the Dodgers and Padres, Betts hit a deep ball just over the left field wall in his first at-bat Tuesday night.
But there was one significant difference. Jurickson Profar didn’t make the catch this time.
With one out in the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday’s NLDS Game 3, Betts launched the fly ball off Padres starter Michael King. Profar gave chase into left field and played the ball over the short wall near the foul pole at Petco Park.
But he didn’t think of it. The ball bounced off his glove into the stands for a solo home run.
From his vantage point on the basepaths, Betts wasn’t so sure. And he had been burned by Profar before. He apparently thought Profar caught the ball and detoured from the path between first and second base across the diamond toward the Dodgers dugout.
Only when the umpires confirmed a home run and coach Dino Ebel at third base signaled Betts to keep rounding the bases did Betts resume his trot. Here’s another angle showing Betts almost reaching the pitcher’s mound before turning to end his home run trot.
And yes, that is a legal trot. Because no defenseman played on Betts, he did not have to stay on the base paths for his home run to be legal.
For comparison, here is Betts’ near-home run from Sunday night at Dodger Stadium.
Like his home run on Tuesday, his fly ball traveled over a short wall near the foul pole in left field on Sunday night. Like Tuesday, Profar reached over the wall to make a play.
But on Sunday, Profar made the catch. He took a moment to savor the catch and taunt the Dodgers fans in the stands before revealing that he had secured the out and robbed Betts of a home run. Betts was in the middle of the celebration before Profar’s big reveal.
Hence Betts’ hesitation and subdued celebration on Tuesday.
The hit was a big hit for Betts in more ways than one. It also snapped an 0-for-22 playoff streak for the former MVP, who was 0-for-6 this postseason before Tuesday’s home run.