Mookie Betts Might Be The Heir Apparent To David Ortiz's Clutch Hitting [VIDEOS]
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Once the Red Sox lose David Ortiz's clutch hitting in the middle of the lineup, they may still be in good hands with their leadoff hitter.
Mookie Betts obviously has an extremely long way to go before approaching Big Papi in the clutch department, but his flair for the dramatic has been on full display this season and he has tended to hit better in tougher situations. Twenty of his 22 home runs have come with the game either tied or within one run (six of his home runs have led off the game). Eight of his home runs have come in the final three innings of the game. On the season, he is batting .471 with four homers with two outs and runners in scoring position.
Monday night's rocket at SafeCo field was Betts' third ninth-inning home run of the season. His first one led off the ninth inning in Baltimore on April 11, but wasn't enough to overcome a three-run deficit as the Red Sox' rally fizzled out. His second, however, came in Arlington against the Texas Rangers, where Betts smacked a two-run homer to tie the game at seven and spur the Red Sox' four-run inning on the way to a comeback win.
Just five days before that, on Father's Day at Fenway Park, Betts drilled one into the Monster Seats to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and break a 1-1 tie.
Humble as always, Betts put his ninth-inning blast in Seattle into simple terms.
"I was just trying to get a fastball up so I could at least put it in play," said Betts. "Just got one elevated and put a good swing on it."
Betts is rapidly establishing a reputation as a guy you want to have at the plate with the game on the line. His handful of big-time clutch home runs is reminiscent of Ortiz in 2003 when he was turning heads with his clutch hitting, but wasn't quite "Big Papi" just yet.
It would be exciting to see what Betts can do when he gets a big at-bat in a playoff game. But for now, he's legitimately playing himself into the American League MVP discussion with the clutch hitting on top of his excellent all-around game. Betts' 5.5 WAR is fourth in the league, and his 2016 power surge has been a big part of that - but his late-game heroics are putting him over the top.
Like Ortiz in '03, Betts is hopefully just getting started.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
