Mookie showing why he's the 'full package' at shortstop in NLDS

LOS ANGELES -- Mookie Betts spent his 33rd birthday similarly to how he passes the majority of his days during the baseball season: putting in work on the diamond, with the added excitement of a potential NL Division Series clincher on the horizon.

For Betts, who has made it to the playoffs in nine of the past 10 years with the Red Sox and Dodgers, playing postseason ball is something he expects to do on his birthday. But even if the date did not fall during baseball season, it's a fair bet that the superstar would find some enriching way to celebrate another trip around the sun.

It is that mentality, coupled with his feel for the game, that has contributed to Betts' transformation from a six-time Gold Glover in right field to one of the best shortstops in baseball.

"To go out there and play Gold Glove right field for years," manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday afternoon, "and to be in the Gold Glove conversation this year, rightfully so, to playing the biggest of games, biggest of stages -- it's just never been done. It takes a special brain and talent to do it."

Betts' acumen for the game was on display in Monday's Game 2 of the Division Series, in which the Dodgers escaped Philadelphia with two wins despite a dicey ninth inning. After the Phillies made it a one-run game with nobody out, Betts called for the infield to run a wheel play, which was executed to perfection.

Betts was somewhat surprised at how the baseball world reacted to the play.

"I think it's such a basic play," he said. "There's only, like, two or three ways, and that's one of them. It would be like the Lakers -- they won the NBA championship running the 2-3 zone. That's how I view it. It's just we ran it in a big spot, and we were able to do it right."

There was another big play to end that inning, Freddie Freeman's impressive pick at first base for the third out. But afterward in the clubhouse, most of the buzz was about how Betts, playing his first full season as a big league shortstop, leaned on his intuition to guide his team out of a jam.

This, after Betts admitted recently that he hadn't been sure if he would end this season at shortstop.

During the 2024 season, Betts moved to shortstop but finished the year in right field due to a multitude of factors. He made a career-high nine errors at shortstop, for one. He was due to return to the infield after a lengthy IL stint with a fractured left hand, but the team reversed course and had Betts return to right because it allowed for better offensive and defensive configurations.

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For those reasons, Betts knew he would have to step up his game in order to make his move to shortstop permanent in 2025. Unlike the year before, he had the entire offseason to pore over the ins and outs of his new position. During the season, he was able to rely on figures such as teammate Miguel Rojas and first-base coach Chris Woodward.

"I think playing all year there," Betts said, "and really having Miggy has been like one of the biggest blessings in disguise I've ever had. He is so knowledgeable of baseball in general but especially the position of shortstop. … He's really responsible for a lot of my mental successes this year."

At some point, with all the hard work and game repetitions under his belt, Betts realized he felt secure in his role.

"Now when I go out and play shortstop," Betts said, "it's like I'm going out to right field. I don't even think about it."

This has been an atypical season for Betts. It began with him losing 18 pounds due to a stomach illness at the end of Spring Training, which he has since identified as the likely cause of the extended slump at the plate he weathered for two-thirds of the regular season.

During that time, Betts found some solace in his defense and ended up leading Major League shortstops with 17 defensive runs saved. But a few games into August, he declared his season over. He saw no path forward other than to accept that this would be the worst offensive year of his career.

Naturally, that's when he began to turn things around. Betts finished the regular season slashing .317/.376/.516 in his final 47 games, and he's carried the momentum into the postseason, hitting 7-for-18 (.389) with his Dodgers on the verge of advancing to the NL Championship Series in back-to-back years.

Being a Major League shortstop encapsulates more than just fielding the position well. It requires a deep knowledge of the game and a steady heart rate -- qualities that stood out to Betts' teammates when he took charge in that pivotal ninth inning in Philadelphia.

“I’m so proud of Mookie," Rojas said, "not just because of the way he’s been playing short, but being the captain of the infield. He’s learning a lot on the fly. Obviously, a great defensive season for him this year. But he’s becoming the full package at short."