Dodgers’ Mookie Betts salutes LeBron James after two homers
LOS ANGELES — Mookie Betts homered twice to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 win over the Miami Marlins in the second game on Saturday night to complete a doubleheader sweep.
Betts had a two-run single to cap a three-run eighth inning as the Dodgers also won the first game 3-1.
After his solo home run in the third inning in the night game, Betts saluted Lakers star LeBron James, who was sitting in a suite with his family on his bobblehead night. When he hit his 34th homer of the season in the fifth, Betts also saluted James as he crossed home plate, and the NBA star tipped his cap.
“It was kind of a thank you and shoutout to him,” Betts said. “He’s done it during his game, so I returned the favor.”
James, on social media, responded: “Salute and (hat emoji) off to you my brother!!!”
Betts said they’ve met and talked a few times, and the salute was spur-of-the-moment.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts thought there was a bit more to it.
“I think that was intentional,” Roberts said of the salute. “Hitting a baseball is as hard as anything there is to do. I just think Mookie had another gear tonight to show out. We were all beneficiaries. It was fun to watch him and LeBron. Two great ones.”
Betts has five multihomer games this season and 28 in his career.
The NL West-leading Dodgers bounced back nicely from an 11-3 loss on Friday night that snapped an 11-game winning streak. They got back on track with two wins to improve to 17-2 in August.
Julio Urias (11-6) allowed just one run — a solo homer to Josh Bell in the first inning — and five hits in seven innings, striking out five.
“He was awesome,” Roberts said of Urias. “The energy tonight, he responded. The City Connect jerseys. LeBron in the house. Crowd really energetic and he just fed off it. Tonight it was the Mookie and Julio show.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.