Dodgers Have a Chance for First Title Since 1988

Mookie Betts is leaping into the World Series, carrying the Los Angeles Dodgers with his glove rather than with his bat. The star right fielder made his third terrific catch in three days, this time robbing Freddie Freeman of a home run and helping the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 Sunday night in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series, the AP reports. Los Angeles trailed 3-2 in the fifth inning, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts already had brought on his third pitcher when the Braves made a bid to widen their lead. Freeman drove a cutter deep to right field, and Betts sprinted 64 feet to the wall and jumped, just to the side of a credit-card advertisement. His glove above the 8-foot top, he snatched the ball as it was headed over. Run saved!

His catch on Freeman kept the Dodgers close, and Los Angeles rallied behind home runs by Kiké Hernández in the sixth off AJ Minter and Cody Bellinger in the seventh against Chris Martin. Now it's onto the World Series against Tampa Bay starting Tuesday night, a chance for Betts to get a second ring to add to the jewelry earned with Boston two years ago. And it's another opportunity for the Dodgers to win their first title since 1988 following losses to Houston in 2017 and the Red Sox in 2018. The AP calls the Dodgers-Rays matchup "a rare meeting of baseball's best for the title." (More on that here.)