MILWAUKEE — Mookie Betts homered and drove in three runs to mark his return from a broken left hand, and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Monday night.
“It was so much fun. Just good to come to work,” Betts said after the win. “These guys welcomed me with open arms, obviously. It’s just fun to play baseball.”
The Dodgers activated Betts from the 10-day injured list earlier in the day and had him playing right field and batting second. Betts primarily had been playing shortstop and leading off this year before his hand got hit by a 98 mph fastball from Kansas City‘s Dan Altavilla on June 16.
In his first at-bat of the night, Betts struck out swinging on a 2-2 slider from Freddy Peralta that sent the eight-time All-Star flailing. But when he faced Peralta again two innings later, Betts ripped a 2-1 fastball over the left-field wall to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
Betts also hit a two-out RBI single off Bryan Hudson in the seventh, finishing his night 2-for-4.
“I know Mookie was happy to get back and help his teammates,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously, it’s a lot more fun writing his name in the lineup.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com