Red Sox Icon David Ortiz Sends Message To Mookie Betts Amid Struggles
As the Los Angeles Dodgers cling to life in the 2025 World Series, trailing the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2, a familiar voice from Mookie Betts’s past is calling him to action. Hall of Fame slugger and Red Sox legend David Ortiz, who shared the diamond with Betts, went public with an impassioned plea ahead of Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, aiming to jolt the Dodgers’ star out of a frustrating postseason funk that has LA desperate for offense.
Betts, an eight-time All-Star and former AL MVP, has endured one of the quietest Octobers of his career. In this World Series, he’s managed just a .130 batting average (3-for-23) with three singles, zero extra-base hits, and only one run scored. His postseason average sits at .234 (.648 OPS) with no home runs in 15 games, a stark departure from the .951 OPS he posted in last year’s postseason en route to a title.
Betts’s typically explosive swing looks labored, contributing to the Dodgers’ anemic offense.
Enter Big Papi. During the FOX Sports coverage ahead of Game 5, Ortiz didn’t hold back, delivering his full message straight to the camera: “You’re one of the greatest players to have ever played this game… But you gotta go to home plate with that beastmode that you have in you, kid,” Ortiz said.
The words carry weight from a man who mashed 17 postseason homers, including clutch blasts in three World Series triumphs. Ortiz knows Betts’ potential all too well—they combined for fireworks in Boston, with Betts emerging as a star under Papi’s wing.
For the Dodgers, facing elimination Friday night, Betts flipping the switch could swing momentum. His compact swing and elite plate discipline have defined dominance before; rediscovering that “beastmode” might just extend LA’s season. As Ortiz implored, the kid who once terrorized pitchers needs to roar back—now.