Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts opened up about his difficult mental and physical recovery process after he suffered a mystery illness that caused him to lose 25 pounds earlier this year.
Betts, 32, missed an early chunk of the season due to a stomach issue that left the three-time World Series champion’s body “just kind of eating itself.”
After making his way back into the Dodgers lineup, Betts struggled with his swing mechanics, finding him at a crossroads.
“The mental health thing is tough,” Betts exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing his partnership with Corona’s Playa Sounds. “It really is tough just because it’s our job. If you’re not doing your job very well, I don’t care what your job is, it’s going to weigh on you.”
To help him through the process, Betts leaned on the support of his wife, Brianna. The pair got married in December 2021 after more than 15 years of dating.
“Man, I could really sit and talk all day about her,” Betts said. “From the beginning, she was just like, ‘Trust yourself. Just trust yourself.’ I didn’t really know what she meant. I’m going to work, I’m working with the hitting coaches, I’m doing everything. I’m trying to figure it out. She never moved off of, ‘Just trust yourself.’”
He continued, “She was always there when I would come home and I was sad and angry that I’m not getting it. I’m not hitting. I’m not doing what I hang my hat on. She was just there, man. She was just there. Always speaking words of affirmation to me. And all the while she’s taking care of the kids and taking care of the house, as well.”
Brianna Betts and Mookie Betts. Arnold Turner/Getty Images for The Pump Group
Mookie and Brianna share daughter Kynlee, 6, and son, Kaj, 2.
“My wife means everything to me,” Mookie added. “She’s my best friend. Somebody I can go run and cry to, or be happy with, whatever. She shares all those emotions with me. She gives me the space to just talk, to talk freely and be who I am. I can’t ask for a better partner.”
As the Dodgers prepare to defend their World Series title in the postseason, Mookie has looked like his former self lately. He was named National League Player of the Week on Monday, September 15, after racking up 12 hits in six games.
Related: Los Angeles Dodger Mookie Betts and Wife Brianna’s Relationship Timeline
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Regardless of your home team, it’s hard not to root for Mookie Betts and Brianna Betts’ love story. Long before the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and shortstop became a professional baseball player competing for awards and World Series titles, Mookie was a man in love with his high school sweetheart. “I knew […]
Mookie has also employed the use of Corona’s Playa Sounds to get him in the right headspace this season, a first-of-its-kind soundtrack that fuses the iconic sounds of the ballpark and beach.
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“It’s just a mindset, you know?” Mookie explained. “It’s a mindset that you don’t want to be too high and you don’t want to be too low. They got the beach and the waves crashing, that calms you down and settles you in a little bit. And then you got the playoff sounds, which heightens everything.”
Mookie Betts for Corona’s Playa Sounds Courtesy of Corona
He added, “Just being there right in the middle, I think me and Corona have done a really good job in creating a soundtrack.”
For more on Mookie’s Playa Sounds and how you can get yourself into Playa Mode, click here.