A devoted Los Angeles Dodgers fan has made good on a very interesting promise he made to superstar slugger Mookie Betts.
On August 2nd, Betts was in the on-deck circle during a game against the Oakland Athletics. Little did he know that a casual exchange with a fan would result in a unique and heartfelt gesture.
A fan, later identified as Giuseppe Mancuso, made a bold proposition to Betts: if the slugger hit a home run during his at-bat, Mancuso would bestow upon his soon-to-arrive daughter the middle name “Mookie.”
“I heard this and I laughed, and he said he was serious,” Betts recounted in a video shared on his social media accounts.
“I turned around and told him, ‘No, don’t do that bro. Don’t do that.'” Betts went on to persuade Mancuso against the idea, playfully adding, “Your wife wouldn’t like that.”
Despite Betts’ initial hesitation, the story took an unexpected turn.
He stepped up to the plate and, sure enough, slugged an astonishing 436-foot home run to left field (his longest home run to date as a Dodger). After he rounded the bases, Betts shared a triumphant fist bump with Mancuso.
True to his word, Mancuso revealed the baby’s birth certificate a few weeks later, officially naming his daughter Francesca Mookie Mancuso.
Mancuso introduced his bundle of joy to the world through social media, proudly tagging the Dodgers, Betts, and the team’s television network. He captioned the heartwarming moment with, “A bet is a bet.”
Hey @Dodgers @mookiebetts @SportsNetLA a bet is a bet. Meet Francesca Mookie Mancuso pic.twitter.com/YftfboJeFV
— Giuseppe Mancuso (@littleragu54) August 10, 2023
Betts responded with his own excitement, tweeting, “One of the coolest moments of ya boy’s entire career! Bro is a man of his word.”
One of the coolest moments of ya boy’s entire career! Bro is a man of his word 😂👶🏼 #babymookie pic.twitter.com/rVIG4VWJVe
— Mookie Betts (@mookiebetts) August 15, 2023
Betts expressed his delight, exclaiming, “I can’t wait to meet Francesca. That’s going to be my girl, that’s going to be my girl. I thought that was pretty neat.”
Francesca Mookie Mancuso was born on August 7th, weighing 7 pounds, 2 ounces, at a hospital in nearby Pasadena.
Mookie Betts, whose full name is Marcus Lynn Betts, shared in a recent interview that his moniker originated from his parents’ admiration for former NBA player Mookie Blaylock.
Now, his legacy extends beyond the baseball field, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of Giuseppe and his newborn.