Mookie Betts owns up to error that ended Yoshinobu Yamamotos perfect-game bid

CHICAGO –– After committing an eighth-inning error on Saturday that ended Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s bid for a perfect game, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts stood before his locker and kept repeating the same message.“Just a routine ground ball that I missed,” he said.“Not making any excuses.”There was little routine about the moment, of course, with Yamamoto having been four outs away from a perfect game –– and one out away from tying an MLB record of 46 batters retired in a row –– when White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth hit a bouncing ground ball that Betts went to field. Though it certainly wasn’t a difficult play, the chopper didn’t wind up being exactly routine, either, taking what appeared to be a slightly high bounce on its final hop before reaching Betts.What happened next might’ve gone down in Hanley Ramirez-esque infamy, had Yamamoto not also lost his no-hit bid in the ninth inning on a solo home run from Tristan Peters.As Betts bent down to field the grounder, he booted it in a stunning moment that saw the ball clank off the heel of his mitt.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story “[I was] very aware of everything going on,” Betts said.

“Didn’t have any extra pressure.” Instead, he explained, he simply didn’t execute.“I’m not making any excuses,” he reiterated.“I should have made the play.”In the moment, Betts seemed to be in disbelief at his mistake.

He raised his hands as the ball ricocheted to second baseman Santiago Espinal, who couldn’t salvage the play with a bare-handed attempt.He then looked around stoically, with a blank expression almost as if to say: How did that happen?California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, ...