Full mid-game interview Mookie Betts on 2nd base, racing with reporter, and more Dodgers 2024

by the Dodger second basement now mookie bets mookie without not moving to the nfield relatively fulltime what just excites you most about being on the dirt and and maybe being next to Freddy Freeman pretty much every day well a lot excites me about being next to Freddy it's always fun fun adventures with Freddy um but I think it's just uh kind of flashbacks and memories of when I was a kid you know just going back having fun I mean when the man's at first like that that itch to want to turn a double play and all those type of things it just it just comes back and then you know not that I didn't enjoy right field but you know this is something different and something that I I love to do does this off season did it look different because of the transition now back to the infield yeah absolutely I did a uh I did uh just a lot more agility in those type of things just to really prepare I mean you know you get in the Outfield and it's more a lot a lot more straight line running so uh but now I got to get my agility back and be athletic again yesterday you told me you're working on getting faster and I know that my speed definitely probably shocked you I get it people don't think I'm as athletic as I am but what can I say but what has been the focus what has been the focus for you just with kind of picking up speed and kind of working on that agility and training uh I mean just a lot of just intentional running like you know you really people really take advantage I me take for granted like just the actual art of sprinting and you lose it you know and I didn't use it for a while and you know I kind of lost it and no and so now I just uh I just want to be the best version of Muki I can be and you know I'm just uh like I said just trying to be the best yeah well with the Dodgers this year it's crazy to think that this is already the first spring training game of the Cactus League there are obviously some new faces what has it been like just building better relationships whether it's been with choh Otani or Yoshi noobu Yamamoto or even Tyler glass now yeah it's uh this locker room is crazy cuz it's completely different than uh the last year two years ago and so um you know just it's a lot of fun you know doing the podcast is really uh taught me how to talk to people and so getting to see a whole lot a whole lot of new faces and getting to talk to them and getting to know who they are that's fun for me I I'll talk to sign post it doesn't matter to me so getting to know uh especially people like Yoshi and shohi I mean their culture and just how great they are it's it's just fun to be a part of well quickly we're going to go upstairs go ahead Tim well ask mooki uh how he ended up losing that foot race to you yesterday the people want to know how you lost me all right so I'mma tell y'all guys I put my head down and when I put my head down I lost sight of of what was going on and and she's a lot faster than than expected so I'll take my L I'll take my L but uh make sure you get your Ham's ready cuz we're doing it again I am a little sore today I'll be honest so I'm going to stretch and I will bring the proper shoes and we will let's give it like two weeks two weeks two weeks all right let's do it you were also on like Sprint number 10 yesterday yeah yeah I need to be fresh especially if you're going to be running like like that I need to be fresh you need to be fresh and we uh we'll make sure we get it in now sh Otani was also out there doing some Sprint work are you surprised as as how fast and how strong he is yeah everything's surprising you know uh seeing him I get to see him a little bit you know on base and whatnot but really getting to stand next to him you know pretty often you see how massive he is and you see how fast he is in everything how strong he is and so um for him to he he deserves everything that he's gotten I know that the team has has a goal of of course winning a World Series Championship but for you personally as you kind of approach this season and the focus for this spring training what is what is a goal that you want to achieve this year um well I would say one thing is winning a gold glove um that would be awesome you know in right field and then in second base that would be that would be awesome that's a a big goal of mine and I know if I can do that that means I definitely help the team after that it's really just you know I don't even care about how I do I just want to win I I I I genuinely do not care I just I just want to win I want to bring it home and you know there's a lot of uh a lot of heartbreaks you know losses and stuff when I I didn't help and so I really just want to win and if however I get however we get there is how we get there but that's the number one thing there's something that you've learned just kind of how the last two years have ended for this team yeah I mean it's it's really like you just really have to just not try and worry about you you know I get get caught up and trying to perform um to to prove prove people wrong prove to myself prove to to everyone else that you know I can do it and that's not the right way to do it you just got to go win you know no matter what and you play play Bad and the guys win who cares you know we all get wings at the end of the day and so that's that's all I care about does this year feel different for this group I know that you know last year there was an amazing team chemistry that you guys had and it seems to have carried over into this year but when it comes to just that winning mentality and it's not to take away from years past but does it feel like there's a different Drive this year as for the group um I don't know that it's a different drive maybe I I'm not sure I'm I'm really not sure I think uh Dodger faithful and us we're all tired of it we're all sick and tired of it and we want to we we keep getting there but we're not getting over the edge and so I think uh I think we're all on the same page you know and we all we all just want to win however we get there is how we get there now I know that when they talk about early in spring training everyone says that the pitchers have the upper hand especially at this point but for the offense like you guys came out today I was nervous we might not leave here but for you guys to set the tone does it just feel good knowing that you guys are in a really good spot this early in Spring yeah absolutely absolutely obviously these games don't really mean anything we got to do it at 7:00 on whatever day the first game is but um you know you just got to create momentum somewhere and we started today and we just got to keep carrying it m well thank you as always best of luck this year spring training interview number one check thank you I appreciate it that's one of a few that will'll have so we have a timetable two weeks a rematch two weeks