What Red Sox Stressed About Mookie Betts Before Loud Final Out

The Red Sox had a clear, late-game plan of attack against Mookie Betts on Saturday, and it ended up working out for Boston.

Betts put the Red Sox in a very uncomfortable spot in the ninth inning of the middle game between Boston and Los Angeles. After John Schreiber walked David Peralta to load the bases, Betts stepped up to the plate with a chance to give the Dodgers the lead with one swing.

Red Sox pitching coach Dave Bush emerged from the dugout and chatted with Schreiber before Betts dug in for a critical at-bat. According to The Boston Globe, Bush’s message for the Boston right-hander was simple: Don’t allow Betts to pull the baseball.

“We’ll take our chances to right, to right-center field with him,” Cora told reporters, per The Globe. “We’ve seen it all.”

Schreiber didn’t give Betts a chance to lift one over the Green Monster on the first pitch, a slider that drifted well off the right side of the plate. A middle-middle sinker on the next pitch allowed Betts to make loud contact, but Adam Duvall corraled the deep fly on the center-field warning track to seal an 8-5 win for the Red Sox.

The stage now is set for a Sunday afternoon rubber match. NESN’s full coverage of the Boston-Los Angeles series finale begins at 12:30 p.m. ET.