No one will ever forget the Red Sox let Mookie Betts go after this.
Back in February, the Boston Red Sox essentially traded four-time All-Star Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cap space and a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. While the chips were probably very tasty on that fateful day, the aftertaste of watching Betts absolutely ball out for the Dodgers in the World Series is probably not quite as savory.
In Game 1 on Tuesday, the Dodgers jumped out to an insurmountable 8-1 lead heading into the seventh inning, but the most damage was done in the fifth inning. Not only did LA force Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow to retire early, but Betts was an absolute force.
He stole two bases in the game, including a double-steal for the Dodgers, and then added insult to injury with a solo homer in the sixth inning to give his new team in LA a 7-1 advantage.
Mookie Betts has been an absolute superstar for the Dodgers
Betts has been making plays for Los Angeles all postseason with his glove, his speed and his bat. Because of this, Twitter did not hold back in blasting the Red Sox for giving up a bona fide star for little more than cap flexibility.
The historical feats alone were enough to make Boston fans cringe:
Mookie Betts is the 2nd player in World Series history with a walk and multiple stolen bases in an inning, joining Babe Ruth in 1921.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 21, 2020
Ruth did so in the 5th inning of Game 2 of the 1921 World Series against the Giants. pic.twitter.com/wN6fQaO9sk
There were, of course, your basic troll jobs for the Red Sox:
I’m not a baseball executive, but if I were the Red Sox, I simply would have not traded Mookie.
— Megan Reyes (@megreyes_) October 21, 2020
Does watching Mookie Betts homer in the World Series make you sad?
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) October 21, 2020
Red Sox fans: pic.twitter.com/6iw8GV7vA4
Red Sox fans having sleepless nights knowing Mookie Betts is generational.
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 21, 2020
a reminder that the Boston Red Sox traded away Mookie Betts https://t.co/GqXIlFJ4Am
— SB Nation (@SBNation) October 21, 2020
Red Sox fans is this like watching your ex get remarried over and over and over please don’t block me
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 21, 2020
Even Red Sox fans were having problems coming to terms with what they were seeing.
I will never forgive the Red Sox for letting Mookie go for as long as I live
— Charlotte Wilder (@TheWilderThings) October 21, 2020
Bringing Boston’s cap flexibility into play was a pretty common tactic too:
If you thought that Mookie Betts catch was cool, wait until you see the Red Sox’s payroll flexibility
— Richard Staff (@RichardStaff) October 17, 2020
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) October 21, 2020
Mookie out here avoiding tags like the Red Sox avoiding the luxury tax. https://t.co/5y1i3NhJRQ
— Mike Axisa (@mikeaxisa) October 21, 2020
I’m sure Dodgers fans are happy and all, but really, how does it stack up with the joy Red Sox fans experienced this year avoiding the luxury tax by trading Mookie? I’ll never forget how fun that was. https://t.co/RwR57ptRcW
— Bharat Ramamurti (@BharatRamamurti) October 19, 2020
We’re here for crossover sports content!
Dodgers’ fans watching Mookie Betts vs. Red Sox fans watching Mookie Betts:#WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/zHtDPjd92H
— Joshua McGehee (@JCMPeacock10) October 21, 2020
You’ve also gotta love a good Photoshop:
Trying to figure out why the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/6o4YxNJPsU
— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) October 21, 2020
But, I mean hey, at least Red Sox fans will get to enjoy free Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell next week!
Me, a (~)Red Sox fan: Your team is gonna punt Mookie away and you’re gonna have to see him play in the WS for another team
— Michelle Bruton (@MichelleBruton) October 21, 2020
Me, a @tacobell addict: But him doing so also means you get free tacos pic.twitter.com/is7f2hpHfc
If this continues, the 2020 World Series might be a long one for Boston fans.