"It's hard" - Mookie Betts shares why batting between Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman is tough

Mookie Betts was the primary leadoff hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers since he moved from Boston to LA. The former MVP had been a classic leadoff all of his MLB career until last year when he had to mould his batting style, as he was pushed to the #2 hole behind Shohei Ohtani.

As a leadoff hitter, ones duty is often to work out an at-bat and get on base. Betts did that consistently and also showed power-hitting skills from time to time. Mookie has always felt the pressures of batting leadoff, but he says the challenge has only grown as he’s adapted to a more flexible role in the lineup.

In a conversation with Lars Nootbar on the On Base with Mookie Betts podcast, he admitted it is very hard to bat in between Shohei and Freddie Freeman. Betts wants them to swing more, but batting between them leaves him uncertain whether to take his own swings or focus on getting on base with a long at-bat.

"It's hard for me sometimes because Shohei, I want him to swing as much as possible—like he should. I don't want him to go up there and walk. They're going to walk him, of course. I wholeheartedly understand it. I wouldn't pitch to him either. But I want him to swing. And then obviously with Freddie behind me, right? I want him to swing.

"You know what I'm saying? I want these guys to swing as much as possible. And I'm so used to how I grew up—it's the same way you grew up as a leadoff hitter. We're kind of trying to see pitches, work your at-bat, get into the game a little bit, right? 'Cause like five- and six-pitch innings were not a thing," Betts said.

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Batting leadoff Betts has had a career average of .296 with an OPS of .913. He has hit 657 RBIs and 228 home runs. In the #2 hole, the former Red Sox player has a career .289 average with an OPS slightly lower at .835. He has achieved 113 RBIs and hit 2 home runs. He explained his unique situation as a rock and a hard place.

"But I think I take responsibility and just kind of do it. I don’t know. Some part of me is like it doesn’t really matter because the pitcher’s going to go, you know, 80–90 pitches, and whoever comes in after is going to be throwing 100. You know what I’m saying? So it’s like, you might as well just get your swings off. So I don’t know—I’m kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place," he later added.

Mookie Betts and Lars Nootbar make Shohei Ohtani and MJ connection

Both Mookie Betts and Lars Nootbar have been teammates with Shohei Ohtani. Betts has seen him with the Dodgers while Nootbar shared a locker room with the generational player at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. As per Nootbar, it fascinated him to see Ohtani throw in the bullpens two years back as a teammate in Tokyo.

He asked if he repeated the same thing this year when the Dodgers went to the Tokyo Series to start the 2025 season against the Chicago Cubs. Betts refuted that and explained the pressures of being Shohei, especially in his home country. Nootbar then drew a Michael Jackson comparison to illustrate Ohtani’s level of stardom.

"No, no, it was just too much. For him, it's really just too much. He can't really take steps, and it's like everybody in the world wants to be famous, right? Until you see a famous person have to live how they have to live their life. And how Shohei has to live—it's like, man, that kind of sucks," Betts said.

"Like the MJ doc that came out during COVID, where he's sitting there in his room smoking a cigar like, "I can't leave my..." Like that's really him, right? Sho—that's literally him," Nootbar added.

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Betts hopes that he, Ohtani, Freeman, and the rest of the Dodgers continue their strong performances as they push toward defending their World Series title.