TORONTO -- Perhaps it was only a matter of time for Mookie Betts.
The Dodgers' shortstop had hit a wall at the plate through the first five games of the World Series, collecting only three hits in 23 at-bats. It got to a point where manager Dave Roberts moved him down in the order -- he hit third in Game 5, then fourth in Game 6 -- which he had been reluctant to do during Betts' prolonged slump in the first two-thirds of the regular season.
With the opportunity to do damage in the third inning of Game 6 on Friday night at Rogers Centre, Betts finally cashed in -- and knocked in what ended up being the winning runs in the Dodgers' 3-1 win to force a Game 7.
"It felt great to come through for the boys," Betts said. "Obviously, I would love to play well for myself. But that’s kind of irrelevant. I want to play well for the boys.”
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman had thoroughly dismantled the Dodgers' lineup through the first two innings, striking out five of his first six hitters. L.A. broke through when Tommy Edman hit a one-out double in the third, then got on the board after Will Smith doubled him home following an intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani.
Freddie Freeman walked, too, loading the bases for Betts, who had yet to drive in a run this World Series. Betts fell behind in the count 1-2 but got a fastball up in the zone on the fifth pitch, shooting it through the left side of the infield for a two-run single that scored Smith and Ohtani.
“Trying to go up and away there to Mookie and left it more middle-up,” Gausman said. “If that’s higher, it’s probably either a strikeout or a pop fly.”
Earlier in the Series, Roberts benched one lineup regular -- Andy Pages -- amid a slump that spanned the entire postseason. That was never going to happen with Betts, who provides immense value at shortstop even when he isn't swinging the bat well.
Asked if sitting Betts had been on his mind at any point, Roberts affirmed that, indeed, he would "ride or die" with his shortstop.
"I felt that putting him in the four slows things down, lets the game come to him," Roberts said. "But I'm not going to run from Mookie Betts. He's just too good of a player, and so that was not a consideration."
The last shuffling of the lineup resulted in marginally more offense, but not many more chances. The Dodgers mustered up just four hits and four walks overall. It was enough to keep their season alive and force a Game 7, but it put added pressure on Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the bullpen, who made a two-run lead hold with the help of some heads-up defense.
Roberts indicated that he was pleased with the lineup change -- and might use the same one in Game 7.
"We were hoping for that kind of energy infusion tonight. We got that from Miggy," Roberts said. "Obviously, the Kiké [Hernández] play, the double play. … And then Mookie. I liked him. We talked about letting the game come to him a little bit, and he got a huge hit for us."
While Betts hasn't dwelled on his frustration at the plate, other than frankly stating he's been "terrible," his teammates know that this ill-timed slump can't be easy for him to deal with. He put in his typical work on the travel day and came into Game 6 feeling better about his swing, specifically his ability to pull the ball -- as he did on his big hit.
"He's a guy that is not going to get outworked by anybody," Rojas said. "He's really accountable with the things that he says to you guys. He's really hard on himself and he shouldn't be, because he's still a superstar and he's still a guy who's going to end up in the Hall of Fame."
The Dodgers often describe Betts as a selfless superstar, and that showed when he was moved down in the order. Before Game 5, he hadn't hit third since 2021. It had been even longer since he hit fourth, in 2017.
But he isn't concerned about his spot in the order. He just wants to do his part, as he was finally able to on Friday.
"I told him he can hit me seventh. I just want to win," Betts said. "Whatever we do, however we get there, I’ll jump on anyone’s back to get there. We all get a ring. That’s all I care about."