Betts’ season-to-date home run total stands at 26.
Mookie Betts was not optimistic about winning the 2023 All-Star Game Home Run Derby, according to ESPN Staff Writer Alden Gonzalez, before it was held on Monday, July 10, in Seattle.
Betts, the Los Angeles Dodgers star who heads into Monday’s eight-player, bracket-style tournament in Seattle as the No. 3 seed, doesn’t want to do the Derby. He isn’t shy about saying so, either. He’s taking part only because his wife, Brianna, thought it would look good on a résumé that includes an MVP Award, two World Series titles, five Silver Sluggers, six Gold Gloves and seven All-Star Game appearances.
“She was like, ‘You’ve done everything you’ve wanted in baseball,’” Betts recalled. “‘The only thing you’ve never done is the Derby.’”
On July 10, during the Home Run Derby, ESPN questioned Brianna Betts about why she believed Mookie should participate in the tournament.
Brianna’s response is on the audio player below.
Betts was eliminated from the Home Run Derby in the opening round. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays was his opponent. At the end of the round, Guerrero Jr. had 26 home runs compared to Betts’ 11. Despite the loss, Betts can now add the 2023 Home Run Derby tournament to his list of achievements.
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