Gold Glove finalist Mookie Betts’ fielding (and hitting) has Dodgers in position for sweep

The debate over Mookie Betts’ ability to play shortstop has long been settled.

The debate now is whether Mookie Betts can play shortstop better than anyone in baseball. This discussion may also soon come to an end.

Because a day after being named a finalist for a Gold Glove, Betts put a huge exclamation point on Thursday’s 3-1 playoff win over the Milwaukee Brewers with a spectacular play to start the ninth inning.

The victory leaves the Dodgers one victory shy of advancing to their second straight World Series, a journey they could complete Friday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. And one of the biggest reasons they’re there is six-time Gold Glove winner Betts’ steady defense in the outfield, which made the difficult move through the middle of the infield look easy.

“I think the only person on this planet that believed Mookie Betts would be in this conversation was Mookie Betts,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s just something that’s never been done. I can’t even, it’s incredible. Obviously I’m at a loss for words.”

Betts tried out for the position last year, but Roberts said the confidence wasn’t there, so he moved Betts back to the outfield. There was no chance of that happening this fall.

Few people understand the difficulty of what Betts did better than those who have held that position. Still, Miguel Rojas, the man Betts replaced at shortstop — and himself a Gold Glove finalist this season as a utility player — said he wasn’t surprised because he’s seen how hard Betts works.

“He doesn’t take days off,” Rojas said of Betts, who is often among the first players on the field for pregame drills and among the last to leave. “Even when we have an off day, he still goes out there and asks for ways to improve. I think that’s a product of his hard work every day. He’s never satisfied. He’s always trying to get better.

“For me to be there every day to watch him play and watch his work ethic, it’s impressive.”

Part of that job, Betts said, is watching video of every on-field play he makes. That includes the brightest, like the ninth-inning play Thursday in which he stepped into the hole to backhand Andrew Vaughn’s grounder, then stood up and threw a powerful one-jump across his body to first baseman Freddie Freeman to get Vaughn easily.

“I watch all my plays, even the routine ones, just to learn what I can do best,” he said.

Asked if he was ever surprised by what he saw, Betts, who has yet to make a mistake in the postseason, shrugged.

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts makes a crossover throw to retire Andrew Vaughn at first base during the ninth inning of Game 3 of the NLCS Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“I’m just doing my job. I’m just doing my job by going out there and playing small, that’s all.

“Once I get to the ball, I believe and trust in my athletic ability to play.”

Rojas, who has played six positions in the majors, said shortstop is a very difficult place to play because of the mental focus it requires. An outfielder might be able to think about his strikes for a few pitches, but the shortstop, who is the quarterback of the infield, doesn’t have that luxury.

“Midway through the year, he was in bad shape offensively. But he never let the defense down. And that’s really impressive,” Rojas said. “He always told me, ‘Even though I’m bad at hitting right now, I’ll never be bad at defense. And I’m going to catch every ball.’

“That’s the mentality you have to have to be a really good shortstop.”

In the postseason, he also became a very good offensive shortstop. After dropping to a career-low .258 average in the regular season, Betts is down .297/.381/.459 and shares the team lead with 11 hits and five extra-base hits in the postseason.

However, the numbers and awards don’t mean much to him, he said; Betts cares much more about winning. And as for proving himself at shortstop? Others, including his manager, might be surprised, but he isn’t.

“I know I could do it. I believed in myself. I always had confidence in myself,” he said. “It was a goal to be the best I could be. If that came with a gold glove, cool. If it didn’t come with a gold glove, cool.

“I can go to bed at night knowing I did everything I could. That’s all that matters to me.”

Just a season ago, there were mornings when he got out of bed wishing he could get back to right field. This doesn’t happen anymore.

“I would say the best athletes are the ones on the dirt,” he said. “It was fun while it lasted. I love being in the dirt now.”