Mookie Betts was perfect in the World Series of Bowling
As it happens in the playoffs, not every team could make it to the World Series. Mookie Betts and his Boston Red Sox were one of those teams. Eliminated in the American League Division Series, the Red Sox outfielder had to watch the World Series from his couch.
But Mookie Betts is getting another shot at the World Series this year. Just not in baseball.
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Over the weekend, Betts took part in the qualifying round for the World Series of Bowling, held by the Professional Bowlers Association in Reno, Nevada. And for one game, he wasn’t just good. He wasn’t just great, either. He was perfect.
On Sunday night, Betts bowled a perfect game. In bowling, a perfect game is a 300 score, which means you get a strike (and knock down all the pins) in every single frame you bowl. And this wasn’t Betts’ first trip to the World Series of Bowling, or his first perfect game. He participated in the World Series of Bowling back in 2015, and has bowled several 300 games before.
Bowling isn’t a new hobby for Mookie — it’s always been part of his life. Betts did an interview with the Reno Gazette Journal last week, and revealed that it was his mother, Diana Benedict, who got him interested in bowling. And he takes it seriously, too. Leading up to the tournament, Betts began practicing every day to get himself up to snuff. He even set a goal for himself: he wanted to finish in the top 150.
Sadly for Mookie, his perfect game wasn’t enough to get him into the next round of the World Series of Bowling. As he mentioned in his postgame interview (on the YouTube video above), his scores during the weekend hadn’t been near that perfect game level, and he finished 158th out of 188 bowlers — just outside of his goal. But just like a true athlete (which Betts most certainly is), he told the announcers during that interview that he knows what he needs to do: keep learning, keep practicing and keep listening to his mentors. Hey, just like baseball!
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on twitter! Follow @lizroscher
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