At important moments, it was a ‘water bat’. The LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves' leading hitters Mookie Betts and Ronald Acuña Jr., who ranked first and second in the postseason player power rankings, were silent in the National League Division Series (NLDS).
In the 2023 postseason player power rankings announced by MLB.com on the 3rd (Korean time), Betts ranked highest. Betts played in 152 regular season games this season, recording a batting average of 0.307, 39 home runs, 107 RBI, an on-base percentage of 0.408, a slugging percentage of 0.579, and an OPS of 0.987. He played the role of a slugger while serving as the team's leadoff. Thanks to Betts' performance, the Dodgers surpassed 100 wins and won the National League West Division championship, earning a direct ticket to the NLDS.
It appeared that the Dodgers, who had Betts ranked first in the power rankings, would easily defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks, who advanced through the National League Wild Card Series (NLWS). In the first game, which was greeted with great anticipation, Betts started as the first batter and second baseman. However, he went 0-hit in 3 at-bats, 1 walk, and 1 run, and watched the team lose 2-11.
Fans believed veteran Betts would survive. Dodgers manager Dave Rogers also showed his trust in Betts by appointing him as the number one hitter and second baseman in Game 2. However, Betts was retired by a fly ball in his first and second at-bats, and was out by a grounder to shortstop in his third at-bat. In the bottom of the 7th inning, he reached first base due to an error. As Betts remained silent, the Dodgers' main lineup became quiet. In the end, the Dodgers lost the second game 2-4.
Betts showed off his pride in the third game. This time too, he started as the number one hitter and second baseman. Is it because the flow of the first and second games continued? Betts also went 0-for-4 in this game, including one strikeout. The Dodgers set a record of 4 home runs in one inning against Arizona in the bottom of the third inning and were eliminated from the postseason
Atlanta's Acuña Jr. also recorded his worst performance in the postseason. Acuña Jr. achieved 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases and ranked second in the power rankings. In 159 games during the regular season, he recorded 'insane results' of a batting average of 0.337, 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, 73 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of 0.416, a slugging percentage of 0.596, and an OPS of 1.012. For the first time in history, he joined the 40-70 (40 home runs, 70 or more stolen bases) club, leading Atlanta to the highest winning percentage (0.642) in the entire major league.
Atlanta, led by Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, and Matt Olson, looked like they would advance to the NLCS. However, things started to go wrong in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies. Acuña Jr., who started as the number one hitter and right fielder, went 0-hit and 1 walk in 3 at-bats.
In the second game, Acuña Jr. prepared with great courage and laid the foundation for a comeback victory. In the bottom of the 6th inning, when he was down 0-4, he got a walk, got on base, and even scored, igniting the chase. In the bottom of the 8th, when he was down 3-4, he scored again with a ball that hit his body. Thanks to Acuña Jr.'s performance, Atlanta won 5-4 over Philadelphia. The bat, which was silent with no hits until the second game, exploded in the third game. Completed a multi-hit game with 2 hits and 1 run in 5 at-bats. However, he could not prevent the team from losing.
Acuña Jr., who regained his hitting in Game 3, became quiet again in Game 4, when Atlanta was on the brink. In the top of the 7th inning, when the team was down 1-3, with 2 outs and bases loaded, a well-hit ball was caught by the center fielder. Acuña Jr., who was silent at a critical moment, went 0-for-4 in Game 4, and with the fall to second place in the power rankings, Atlanta lost its ticket to the NLCS to Philadelphia for the second year in a row.
Betts and Acuña Jr., who took the top spots in the power rankings, had disastrous postseason performances. Betts was 0-hit in 11 at-bats, 1 walk, and 1 run in 3 NLDS games, failing to produce a single hit, let alone an extra-base hit. Acuña Jr. stayed at a batting average of 0.143 (2 hits in 14 at-bats), an on-base percentage of 0.294, and a slugging percentage of 0.214 in 4 games.
The regular season fire bat was a 'water bat' in the postseason, to the point where the first and second places in the power rankings were put to shame. In the end, Betts and Acuña Jr. ended up with the worst postseason individual performance of all time, and the Dodgers (100 wins) and Atlanta (104 wins), who had achieved more than 100 wins in the NL regular season and were aiming to advance to the World Series, along with the two players' sluggish performance. I made a promise for next year.