The Gocheok Sky Dome proved difficult to hit a home run out of, with only Mookie Betts and Manny Machado managing to accomplish the feat during the Seoul Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
Betts was first of the two to hit a Seoul Series home run, which won him the IONIQ 5 electric car as part of MLB’s sponsorship with Hyundai.
Betts’ two-run blast off Michael King trimmed the Dodgers’ deficit to 10-8 in the fifth inning on Thursday. He finished 4-for-5 with six RBI, one walk and a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Machado also went to left field for his home run, a line drive in the ninth inning that carried out in a hurry and extended to the Padres’ lead to what also held as the final score at 15-11. It was the most runs the Padres have ever scored against the Dodgers in a single game.
Although Betts and the Dodgers came up short in the finale of the two-game set, he posed with a miniature version of the IONIQ 5 to commemorate his winnings.
Through two games this season, the 31-year-old is 6-for-9 (.667) with a 1.111 on-base plus slugging percentage. Betts is coming off a second-place finish for National League MVP and a career-high 39 home runs.
Mookie Betts: Seoul Series can bond Dodgers
Although opening the 2024 regular season with the Seoul Series made for a condensed Spring Training and other logistical challenges, Betts viewed the trip to South Korea as an early opportunity for the Dodgers clubhouse to begin coming together.
“I think it’s definitely a team-building thing, team-chemistry thing,” Betts said. “Just walking around, eating breakfast together, being in the hotel, everyone is kind of learning the culture here together. So it’s super cool.”
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