Mookie Betts: 0-for-7, a White House boycott, and a glove deal with Perfect Game
Mookie Betts, the six-time Gold Glove winner and four-time World Series champion, is navigating a season of lineup changes, a 0-for-7 doubleheader, a White House boycott, and a new glove partnership with Perfect Game, as the.
Mookie Betts, a six-time Gold Glove winner and four-time World Series champion, went 0-for-7 with two walks in a July 18, 2026 doubleheader against the New York Yankees. He later declined to visit the White House with the Los Angeles Dodgers, saying he wanted to spend the off day with his family.
Mookie Betts went 0-for-7 with two walks across both games of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on July 18, 2026, continuing a quiet stretch for the eight-time All-Star. Two days later, his glove company LGND became the official glove of Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball platform. Betts, a six-time Gold Glove winner and four-time World Series champion, debuted with the Boston Red Sox and won the 2018 World Series in five games before leaving the team in 2020. He now plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he has won three more championships and shifted between outfield, shortstop, and second base. The 0-for-7 day underscores Betts’s uneven recent form, while the Perfect Game deal signals his growing business footprint off the field. His decision to skip the Dodgers’ White House visit—saying he wants to spend the day with his family—has also drawn attention as the team navigates a tight playoff race.
Mookie Betts’s career: from Boston to Los Angeles
Mookie Betts is in his seventh season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a career arc that began when he debuted in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox. He is a six-time Gold Glove winner and a four-time World Series champion, having won three titles with the Dodgers and one with the Red Sox.
Betts has been named an All-Star eight times and has won the Silver Slugger Award seven times. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in a season, though the specific year is not known from the briefing. His defensive versatility sets him apart: he has played as an outfielder, shortstop, and second baseman, shifting roles as the Dodgers have needed him.
The Dodgers acquired Betts from Boston in 2020, a move that reshaped the franchise. Since arriving in Los Angeles, Betts has been a central figure in the clubhouse and on the field. He has played through position changes and remained a consistent offensive threat, though recent games have shown rare struggles. In the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on July 18, 2026, Betts went 0-for-4. Across both games of that doubleheader, he finished 0-for-7 with two walks.
Betts’s glove company, LGND, became the official glove of Perfect Game on July 20, 2026. Perfect Game is the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service. The partnership ties Betts’s personal brand to the next generation of players, extending his influence beyond his own playing career.
Betts remains in regular contact with former Red Sox manager Alex Cora, speaking with him at least once a month. He has also made headlines for his decision not to join the Dodgers for a visit to the White House, saying he wants to spend the off day with his family rather than trying to make someone else happy. Betts has participated in the traditional championship White House visit twice before.
World Series championship with Boston Red Sox
Left the Boston Red Sox
Went 0-for-4 in second game of doubleheader against New York Yankees
Glove company LGND became official glove of Perfect Game
SportsLine's Matt Severance shared MLB home run prop picks including a bet on Mookie Betts
Not in Dodgers lineup for game against Boston Red Sox
The 2018 World Series and Betts’s departure from Boston
The 2018 World Series gave Mookie Betts his first championship ring, but it also set the stage for a rivalry that would define the next phase of his career. Betts and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, a decisive victory that ended with the Dodgers swept in a game where, according to reports, pitcher Emmet Sheehan struggled. The series saw the Dodgers face a third consecutive left-handed starting pitcher, a matchup that proved difficult for Los Angeles.
Two years later, Betts left Boston. He said he left the Red Sox in 2020, though the exact circumstances of his departure remain a matter of public record rather than his own detailed explanation. What followed was a remarkable turn: Betts joined the very team he had helped beat in 2018. Now in his seventh season with the Dodgers, according to reports, he has won three World Series championships with Los Angeles, matching the title he earned in Boston.
The shift from Red Sox hero to Dodgers cornerstone is a central thread of Betts’s career. He won a championship with Boston, then left. He joined the team that lost to Boston, then won three more titles there. The 2018 series remains a footnote in that arc—a five-game clash that gave Betts his first ring and the Dodgers their first crack at him as an opponent. Now, eight years later, Betts is a four-time World Series champion, with three of those rings coming in Los Angeles.
Recent games: Betts’s 0-for-7 doubleheader and lineup absence
On July 18, 2026, Betts went 0-for-4 in the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees. Across both games that day, he finished 0-for-7 with two walks. The doubleheader sweep added to a difficult stretch for the Dodgers’ star, who had been struggling at the plate.
Ten days later, on July 29, the Dodgers lost 10-7 to the Philadelphia Phillies. Betts was in the lineup but the team could not overcome the Phillies’ offense.
Then, on August 1, Betts was not in the Dodgers lineup for a game against the Boston Red Sox, according to reports. Kyle Tucker was also absent from that lineup. The reasons for their absences were not specified in the briefing.
The 0-for-7 performance against the Yankees marked one of Betts’s worst offensive outings of the season. The two walks across the doubleheader provided his only baserunning opportunities, but he was unable to drive in runs or spark a rally.
The Dodgers’ 10-7 loss to the Phillies on July 29 came despite the team’s typically potent offense. Betts’s struggles in that game contributed to the defeat, though the briefing does not provide his specific at-bat results for that contest.
The August 1 game against the Red Sox carried additional significance for Betts, who began his career in Boston and won a World Series there in 2018. His absence from the lineup, along with Tucker’s, left the Dodgers short-handed against their former star’s old team.
The briefing does not indicate whether Betts’s lineup absence on August 1 was due to injury, rest, or another reason. It also does not specify if he appeared as a substitute in that game.
LGND and Perfect Game: Betts’s glove company expands
On July 20, 2026, Mookie Betts’s glove company LGND became the official glove of Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service. The partnership places LGND’s equipment in front of thousands of young players who participate in Perfect Game events each year, from showcase tournaments to scouting combines.
LGND, founded by Betts, produces custom baseball gloves that have gained visibility through his own use in major league games. Betts, a six-time Gold Glove winner, has worn LGND gloves throughout his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The company’s deal with Perfect Game marks its most significant expansion into the youth market, where glove brands compete for loyalty from players who often model their equipment choices after professional stars.
Perfect Game operates events across the United States and provides scouting services that feed into MLB draft boards and college recruiting. By making LGND its official glove, the organization gives the brand a direct channel to the next generation of elite talent. The agreement covers both baseball and softball, broadening LGND’s reach.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed in the briefing. The announcement came two days after Betts went 0-for-4 in the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees, a performance that was part of a 0-for-7 day at the plate. But the glove deal reflects the business side of Betts’s career, which runs parallel to his on-field production.
For a player who has won four World Series championships and eight All-Star selections, the Perfect Game partnership extends his influence beyond the diamond. LGND now has a platform to build brand recognition among players who may one day follow Betts’s path from prospect to major league star.
Betts on Cora, the White House, and Bauer’s regret
Mookie Betts maintains a regular connection to his past. He said he still speaks with former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora at least once a month, a relationship that has persisted long after Betts left the organization in 2020.
That departure—a trade that sent him from Boston to Los Angeles—still draws comment from former teammates. Pitcher Trevor Bauer, who spent parts of two seasons with the Dodgers, said he regrets signing with the team. Bauer’s remark came unprompted; he did not elaborate on the specifics of his regret.
Betts, meanwhile, has made a clear choice about how to spend a day off this season. He said he wants to spend it with his family rather than at the White House trying to make someone else happy. Betts will not join the Dodgers for a visit to the White House, a traditional stop for championship teams. He has participated in that ceremony twice before—once after winning the World Series with Boston in 2018, and again after a title with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers lost their most recent game against the Phillies 10-7. Betts was not in the lineup for that contest, a decision the team made before the July 29 matchup. He has also been absent from the lineup for a game against the Red Sox on August 1, according to reports, alongside teammate Kyle Tucker.
Betts’s decision to skip the White House visit is personal. He has been an All-Star eight times, won six Gold Gloves, and earned seven Silver Slugger awards. He is in his seventh season with the Dodgers, playing outfield, shortstop, and second base. The choice to stay home, he made clear, is about family, not politics.
Trevor Bauer said he regrets signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Prop bets and pitching matchups: Betts in the betting market
On July 31, 2026, SportsLine’s Matt Severance released MLB home run prop picks that included a bet on Mookie Betts. The timing placed Betts at the center of betting-market attention as the Dodgers prepared to face the Boston Red Sox.
The Dodgers entered that series against a third consecutive left-handed starting pitcher, according to reports. That stretch of lefty matchups tested a lineup built around right-handed power. Betts, a right-handed hitter, typically benefits from such platoon advantages, but the sustained run of southpaws gave Boston’s pitching staff a strategic edge.
In one game of that series, the Dodgers were swept by the Red Sox in a contest where pitcher Emmet Sheehan struggled, per accounts. Sheehan’s difficulty on the mound compounded the offensive challenges created by the left-handed pitching gauntlet. The Dodgers’ inability to generate runs against a string of lefties highlighted a vulnerability that opposing teams have increasingly tried to exploit.
Severance’s prop pick on Betts reflected the broader betting-market expectation that the Dodgers’ star would break through against left-handed pitching. Betts has a career track record of handling southpaws, but the specific matchup on July 31 carried additional weight given the series context. The prop bet focused on Betts hitting a home run, a feat that would have required him to square up one of Boston’s left-handers.
The convergence of Betts’s betting-market profile, the Dodgers’ lefty-heavy schedule, and Sheehan’s rough outing created a compressed window of scrutiny around the team’s performance. For bettors and analysts tracking Severance’s picks, Betts represented both a statistical probability and a narrative hinge: if the Dodgers’ most consistent hitter could not solve the left-handed puzzle, the team’s deeper structural issues would become harder to ignore.
Dodgers roster moves: Skubal trade and lineup changes
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a lineup change involving Mookie Betts before a July 29, 2026 game against the Seattle Mariners, according to reports. The specific nature of the change has not been detailed, but it came as the Dodgers prepared for a series in Seattle. The Dodgers lost their previous game, a 10-7 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies.
At the 2026 MLB trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal. The trade added a frontline starter to a rotation that has dealt with injuries and inconsistency. Skubal, a former Detroit Tiger, was a Cy Young Award winner in 2024 and brings a strikeout-heavy arsenal to Los Angeles. The deal signals the Dodgers’ intent to strengthen their pitching staff for a postseason push.
In a related move, the Milwaukee Brewers traded right-hander Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays at the same deadline. Peralta had been a key part of Milwaukee’s rotation, and his departure reshapes the National League Central race. The Dodgers were not involved in that trade, but the broader deadline activity underscores the shifting balance of power in both leagues.
The Dodgers’ roster moves come during a stretch where Betts has been in and out of the lineup. He went 0-for-4 in the second game of a July 18 doubleheader against the New York Yankees, and was not in the starting lineup for an August 1 game against the Boston Red Sox, alongside Kyle Tucker. The team has faced a run of left-handed starters, and Betts has occasionally been given rest days against tough lefty matchups. The addition of Skubal gives the Dodgers another weapon as they navigate the second half of the season.
Betts’s accolades and current role with the Dodgers
Mookie Betts is an American professional baseball player in his seventh season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team he joined after beginning his major league career with the Boston Red Sox. Over 12 seasons, Betts has established himself as one of the most decorated active players in the sport.
Betts has been named an All-Star eight times, a mark that places him among the most consistently elite performers of his generation. He has won the Silver Slugger Award seven times, recognizing him as the best offensive player at his position in those seasons. In one of those years, Betts was named the Most Valuable Player in a season, the highest individual honor in the game.
Defensively, Betts has earned six Gold Glove Awards for his work in the outfield. He has also played shortstop and second base at various points in his career, demonstrating versatility that has allowed the Dodgers to shift him around the diamond. Betts has won four World Series championships: one with the Red Sox in 2018 and three with the Dodgers.
Betts currently plays primarily as an outfielder for the Dodgers, though his defensive assignments have varied depending on roster needs. He remains a central figure in a Dodgers lineup that added outfielder Kyle Tucker and traded for pitcher Tarik Skubal at the 2026 trade deadline. Betts is also the founder of LGND, a glove company that, as of July 20, 2026, became the official glove of Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service.
Despite his individual accolades and team success, Betts has occasionally been absent from the lineup this season. He was not in the Dodgers’ starting lineup for a game against the Boston Red Sox on August 1, 2026, according to reports, and Kyle Tucker was also held out of that game.
Frequently asked questions
What awards has Mookie Betts won?
Mookie Betts is a six-time Gold Glove winner, four-time World Series champion, eight-time All-Star, and seven-time Silver Slugger. He won MVP in one season. He plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers as an outfielder, shortstop, and second baseman.
How many World Series has Mookie Betts won and with which teams?
Betts debuted for the Boston Red Sox and won the 2018 World Series with them. He left the Red Sox in 2020 and has since won three World Series championships with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
How did Mookie Betts perform against the Yankees on July 18, 2026?
Betts went 0-for-4 in the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on July 18, 2026. Across both games that day, he was 0-for-7 with two walks.
What is Mookie Betts' glove company LGND?
Betts' glove company, LGND, became the official glove of Perfect Game, the world's largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, as of July 20, 2026.
Why is Mookie Betts skipping the White House visit?
Betts said he wants to spend the off day with his family rather than at the White House trying to make someone else happy. He has participated in the traditional championship White House visit twice before but will not join the Dodgers for this visit.
Compiled from reporting by 18 independent outlets. How we source our reporting.
