Pickleball Fever Hits MLB as Dodgers Insider Reveals Hilarious Threat Aimed at Mookie Betts

MLB’s spring training usually brings a whole lot of chatter. Fresh rotations, roster moves, and even debates about a few prospects are all common topics during spring training. But the reigning World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, had more than chatter on their plate. They had a real showdown—but not on the diamond, rather on the pickleball court!

So, while the rest of the baseball world tagged them the ‘evil empire of baseball’ and wondered if they would be the first team to three-peat since the Yankees, they were busy with their own saga. Assistant GM Jeff Kingston and Triple-A manager Scott Hennessey were busy planning a pickleball battle. And it was the talk of the town!

“It’s the most hotly talked-about topic in my seven years with the Dodgers,” said pitching coach Mark Prior. Manager Dave Roberts, too, was hyping up the whole event. Meanwhile, Hennessey got fully competitive with Mookie Betts!

Kingston revealed to ESPN that Hennessey told Betts on his face, ‘I’ll beat you tomorrow for $10K.” Kingston labeled it as a “stone-cold s** talker.” That probably stung Betts, given he has been playing pickleball for a while now. Last year, he revealed he goes to random parks and plays with random people, and how much he simply enjoys the game.

As far as the trash talk by Hennessey goes, everyone knows that in pickleball, this is extremely common. The vibe about the entire ordeal was so high that the match was moved off-site to Chicken N Pickle, a local restaurant, just so they could accommodate the 80 to 100 Dodgers staff who wanted to watch.

The team was divided on whom to support, with Roberts placing his bet on Hennessey, saying, “Hennessey is a self-proclaimed great pickleball player. When somebody is a self-advocate for themselves, I like to see it play out in competition.” And Andrew Friedman went with the underdog Kingston. Ultimately, the unthinkable happened—it was Kingston who won!

Later, Kingston said, “The whole place is going crazy. Henny was speechless.” Well, now Betts has $10K pending. But that aside, one thing is for sure: pickleball is taking over everywhere.

Baseball madness taking over MLB

Pickleball isn’t the same as it was before. The fast-paced paddle sport is now replacing even golf and basketball as the players’ go-to day activity. Teams have installed courts at their spring training facilities in Arizona and Florida, too. It’s more than a sport; it is also turning out to be a stress buster. Just ask J.D. Martinez!

Right after the New York Mets failed to reach the postseason, the slugger was asked about what’s next, and he said, “Pickleball.” Not offseason plans or free agency, but rather pickleball. And since then, he has even signed with JOOLA, a paddle brand. “I see pickleball as a sport I’ll be involved in for the long run,” Martinez said. And it’s not just him; Mookie Betts is a big fan.

Betts had said last season, “Pickleball, that’s my jam.” But for now, he is keeping his distance from the paddle. Whether or not it’s by choice is debatable, though. Andrew Friedman apparently didn’t like the fact that Betts was taking on the injury risks that come with the game. Soon after, Betts said, “I’m done; I got hooked on golf again. And I’m playing shortstop now. I don’t have time to be doing all that running and stuff.” Not all teams are pulling back, because teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs have embraced the game, too.

Do you think pickleball is becoming a full-blown thing in MLB, or is it still just a hobby? Let us know in the comments.