Mookie Betts received a rude welcome back to the field in his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup Monday in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
In his first at-bat since suffering a broken hand in June, Betts stepped into the batter's box against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta. After watching four pitches go by for a 2–2 count, Betts fouled off a couple of four-seam fastballs. He wasn't ready, however, when Peralta went back to his off-speed slider.
Betts was way out in front of Peralta's 82.9-mph offering, swinging so hard that he fell over into the left-handed side of the box. Betts got up and quickly walked into the Dodgers' dugout as a bold "K" was marked down on the scoresheet.
Watch your ankles ‼️@FreddyPeraltaRD pic.twitter.com/qr1j4UsRcJ
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 13, 2024
Of course, Betts wasn't the butt of the joke for long. In his next plate appearance, he took Peralta deep in the third inning, crushing a fastball 375 feet into the left-field seats.
Welcome back, Mookie Betts! 💣 pic.twitter.com/7GUngn3X9t
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 13, 2024
Betts's return comes at a good time for the Dodgers, who struggled in July (11–13) and were 25–20 in games the eight-time All-Star missed while nursing his broken hand.
The Dodgers were 69–49 entering Monday's tilt, trying to hold off the scorching-hot Arizona Diamondbacks, who are 17–5 since the All-Star break and just 3.5 games behind Los Angeles.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Freddy Peralta Made Mookie Betts Look Absolutely Foolish on Strikeout Pitch.
