Fan Names Daughter After Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts in Wake Of Massive Home Run
Superstar Mookie Betts has hit plenty of home runs since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the one he hit against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 2 carried a little extra weight.
Betts took to social media Tuesday to tell the story behind his solo shot that day, detailing an interaction he had with a fan while he was in the on-deck circle.
Giuseppe Mancuso, who was sitting in the front row at Dodger Stadium, told Betts that he would make his future daughter's middle name Mookie if he hit a home run that at-bat. Betts said he laughed and told him not to do it, under the assumption that his wife wouldn't like it, but Mancuso was on the phone with his wife at the time.
Betts stepped up to the plate and crushed a 436-foot bomb – the longest of his career – off of left-hander Hogan Harris in the second inning, deciding Mancuso's daughter's middle name while also putting the Dodgers up 4-0.
On his way back to the dugout, Betts trotted over to Mancuso and gave him a fist bump.
Mancuso's daughter was born Aug. 7, and he posted the birth certificate on Twitter three days later. The official government document showed that her name was Francesca Mookie Mancuso.
Betts eventually caught wind of the news, and said he can't wait to meet Francesca, who he referred to as "#babymookie" on Twitter. The star slugger called it one of the coolest moments of his 10-year major league career.
Betts made his seventh-consecutive All-Star appearance this year, and he is now hitting .287 with 31 home runs, 80 RBI and a .968 OPS on the season. The former MVP and two-time World Series champion is helping to lead the charge for the Dodgers, who are 71-46 with six weeks left until the playoffs.
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