Even Mookie Betts himself can be left awestruck by his incredible skills
By all accounts, it's been a frustrating season for the Red Sox. A host of injuries, bad luck and general things-not-going-the-way-they-intended left the reigning World Series champions out of the postseason picture in 2019, hopes of a repeat dashed.
They haven't had a great time out there on the field, for sure, but watching Mookie Betts on Monday night, you wouldn't know it. In Boston's game against the Rays, Betts, a decorated All-Star, reigning AL MVP and all-around highlight reel, was out there in right field playing as if this game was do-or-die for the Sox.
So when Avisaíl García thought about heading to third for a triple on a hit down the right-field line, Betts sprang into action and made one of the most unbelievable throws anyone's made all season:
That's a 305-foot heave from the deepest reaches of the right-field corner straight to third baseman Rafael Devers. García never had a chance.
Betts threw a baseball the length of a football field with the ease of a player with a skill level that leaves others in awe. And, most amusingly, he even impressed himself with this one.
“Yeah, I didn’t know I could do that. It’s fun to kind of do stuff that you didn’t know you could do," he told the media after the game.
Want proof that he amazed himself? Watch it again, noticing his reaction ... a smile and a shrug, as if to say "Yeah, I dunno either, man."
Mookie Betts is one of the game's best, a generational talent with a bright future ahead of him. He has a World Series ring, an unmistakable style and a presence that exudes "Yeah, I got this," wherever he goes.
And yet ... he's still capable of doing things that leave him shocked at his own skills.
That's the mark of a superstar.
Adrian Garro joined MLB.com in 2016. Throughout his travels, both Bartolo Colon and Vin Scully have placed their hands on his shoulders. Not at the same time, though. That'd be amazing.
