WATCH: Traumatized Mookie Betts thought Jurickson Profar robbed him again, Dodgers face elimination at the hands of the Padres

The Dodgers and Padres have been jawing back-and-forth all series and nothing showed the mental drain that’s caused L.A. better than Mookie Betts, who allowed Jurickson Profar to put his brain in a blender.

Listen, the NL West is beyond soft. Unfortunately, the Phillies appear to be just as soft but that’s a post for later today. Just want to get ahead of the inevitable “yeah but the Phillies…” comments that come any time I talk about another Major League Baseball team.

It’s a proactive approach that is nonexistent in the Phillies hitting strategy – so cut me some slack here, okay?

Anyways, in a moment that felt eerily similar to his near-miss home run from earlier in the series, Mookie Betts launched a deep fly ball to left field during his first at-bat in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Padres.

WATCH: Jurickson Profar trolls Mookie Bets with HR robbery, gets into it with Dodgers fans

Mookie Betts got a hold of a pitch from Padres starter Michael King and sent it soaring toward the short wall near the foul pole at Petco Park. Profar sprinted to make a play and reached up, but unlike the previous game, he couldn’t come down with the ball as it bounced off his glove and into the stands for a solo shot to give the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead.

Mookie Bets Home Run

Jurickson Profar can’t rob this one!

Mookie Betts gets the @Dodgers started with a solo shot! #NLDS

pic.twitter.com/Z5NTqGWZEN

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 9, 2024

From Mookie Betts’ perspective, things weren’t so clear.

Having been burned by Profar’s glove just two nights before, Betts assumed the worst. Instead of rounding the bases, he veered off toward the Dodgers dugout, thinking he’d been robbed again.

It wasn’t until third-base coach Dino Ebel waved him on and the umpires confirmed it was indeed a homer that Betts resumed his trot around the bases. In fact, he got so off track that he almost reached the pitcher’s mound before getting back on course.

Traumatized Mookie Betts thought he got robbed again lol

Not sure if we've ever seen a home run trot like this before 🤷‍♂️ #NLDS pic.twitter.com/Ef4xZhXseW

— MLB (@MLB) October 9, 2024

And yes, for those wondering, (me) it was a legal trot. As long as no defender is attempting to make a play, there’s no rule requiring Betts to stick to the base path.

The home run for Betts snapped a frustrating 0-for-22 playoff slump. He was 0-for-6 in the 2023 postseason before finally breaking through with that solo shot.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Betts’ early homer wasn’t enough to hold off the Padres, who rallied in the second inning and hung on for a 6-5 win, taking a 2-1 series lead.

Now, the Padres are just one win away from securing their spot in the NLCS for the second time in three seasons. Game 4 looms large, and for the Dodgers, it’s do-or-die time.

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