The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the NL West on Tuesday with 21 games left to play.
Mookie Betts made sure that they did so in style. The five-time Dodgers Gold Glove winner robbed a would-be hit with a catch-of-the-year candidate in the Dodgers' 4-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With no outs in the seventh inning, outfielder Jake McCarthy skied a Clayton Kershaw pitch down the right-field line that looked destined for extra bases. Betts had other ideas. He sprinted from left-center field, slid feet-first on the warning track, then plucked the ball from the air inches from the ground.
When he got up from the slide he stood face-first and shared the moment with the Dodgers bullpen. He then tossed the ball back to the infield, flashed a smile and signaled to an appreciative Kershaw on the mound.
Mookie Betts made the sliding catch and looked at the #Dodgers bullpen like 😏pic.twitter.com/YLe6LraRv2
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) September 14, 2022
With the win, the Dodgers improved to 98-43, 21 games and out of striking distance of the second-place San Diego Chargers. It's not like the Dodgers — or anyone else in the NL, were going to catch them for home-field advantage anyway. Now they'll play out the rest of the season knowing they're NL West champs.