Angels Manager Doubles Down on Walking Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani: ‘No Disrespect To Mookie’

Seven of the 9 gamers in the Dodgers’ batting lineup versus the Angels on Tuesday are MLB All-Stars. The initially 5 are ruling NL All-Stars. There is no getting away dominant batters when dealing with the Dodgers.

The Angels rapidly found out that lesson in the very first video game of their home series versus the Dodgers.

Angels’ supervisor Ron Washington decided to purposefully stroll Shohei Ohtani, which is not a surprise as Ohtani leads the National League with 44 crowning achievement this season. However, that put 2 runners on base for six-time Silver Slugger Mookie Betts.

“You’re picking poison when you deal with the first three hitters,” Washington stated in a post-game interview. “I wasn’t going to let Ohtani swing there, and I have all the respect in the world for Mookie Betts.”

With one out on the board, Washington’s strategy was for relief pitcher Roansy Contreras to draw a ground ball to permit the Angels to turn a double play.

However, Betts had a various concept. After the Angels selected to deal with Betts over Ohtani, the eight-time MLB All-Star blasted a three-run crowning achievement out of Angel Stadium to put the Dodgers up by 4 in the top of the tenth inning.

Did the deliberate walk to Shohei Ohtani offer Betts some additional juice behind his crowning achievement?

It sure looked likeit:

The Angels believed they made the right choices to stroll Shohei Ohtani in his main return however little did they understand Mookie Betts had a 3-run homer in shop for them.

Mookie has compromised all season long and it makes his clutch minutes like tonight that far more worth it ? pic.twitter.com/1yKEt8uZHT

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) September 4, 2024

“I was hoping Contreras could make a pitch, get a ground ball, and get us a double play and keep the game at (1). First pitch, he left in the middle of the plate and up, and Mookie didn’t miss it. That’s what he gets paid for.

While some people may criticize Washington’s decision, hindsight is 20-20. There is no denying the star power that exists within the Dodgers lineup. If it wasn’t Betts, three-time Silver Slugger Freddie Freeman was up next – then, the reigning Home Run Derby champion Teoscar Hernandez, then two-time All-Star Will Smith. There was no escape.

“I’m mostly good tonight. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep good if I had pitched to Ohtani and he’d have done some damage. It was just the right thing to do,” Washington stated to press reporters. “It’s no disrespect to Mookie. None at all. I know who he is. I know who Freddie Freeman is, too. He got us.”

Betts’ crowning achievement acted as a tip of the MVP-caliber gamer that he is.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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