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Mookie Betts: How Meghan Markle's 'cousin' took the LA Dodgers to World Series victory

Defeating Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6, on Tuesday, October 27, Markus Lynn 'Mookie' Betts's key plays in the game resulted in the historic victory

Los Angeles Dodgers have now become World Series Champions after a hiatus of 32 years, as the last time they donned the title was back in 1988. Defeating Tampa Bay Rays in game 6, on Tuesday, October 27, Markus Lynn "Mookie" Betts's key plays in the game resulted in the historic victory. Betts is the first player ever to win Most Valuable Player and a World Series title with 2 different franchises before turning 30 years old.

Betts signed a 12-year, $365 million extensions with Los Angeles in July 2020 and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who recently won his fourth NBA championship, tweeted: "Mookie worth every penny."

Soon, Betts tweeted, "THE JOB IS FINISHED!!!!!  This one's for you LA - the City of Champions!  Enjoy the hell out of it, but you know these boys aren't done chasing rings!!!"

Born on October 7, 1992, Betts's first Little League Baseball coach was his mother, Diana. His parents nicknamed him 'Mookie' after former NBA guard Mookie Blaylock shortly after Betts was born. Betts has stated that he has never met Blaylock.

In 2010, when Betts was just 18-years old and was in his junior year at John Overton High School in Nashville, he batted .548 with 24 steals. In November that year, Betts signed a letter of commitment to attend the University of Tennessee on a baseball scholarship, also getting hired by Vanderbilt University, Mississippi State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Later, in 2011, the Boston Red Sox picked Betts in the 5th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft with the 172nd overall pick as a 2nd baseman.  

In 2018 Boston Globe's Peter Abraham claimed that Betts may be a distant relative of Meghan Markle's. Amateur genealogist Jim McNiff discovered Betts' great-great-grandfather (Joseph Betts) and Markle's great-great-great-grandfather (Jacob Betts) both lived in Madison County, Alabama. "I saw on television that they were getting married. But I had no idea we were related," Betts said, replying to the reports. "That's not something you expect to hear, but it's interesting."

Markle and Betts supposedly share ancestry dating back 150 years to America’s Deep South. Later, in 2019, it was reported that Markle shared a hug with her "cousin" Betts as she and her husband Prince Harry met the Boston Red Sox player ahead of their London MLB game.

On February 10, 2020, it was reported that the Red Sox team traded Betts, David Price, and cash considerations to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs.

Soon after his splendid performance in Tuesday's game, Betts started trending on Twitter as one Internet user congratulated him and said, "Well done to the Dodgers on the World Series win. Well done to Mookie Betts - an investment the Red Sox weren’t willing or able to make." While another one wrote, "Congratulations to you, Mookie!!! You deserve it!!! What a great baseball player you are!!! We miss you in Boston, and it is unfortunate you were traded, but congrats on winning a ring for the Boston Red Sox and now the Los Angeles Dodgers."

Calling him a "King" of baserunning, another one wrote, "Mookie Betts, king of base running " While another one admitted, "Okay, fine. I admit it. Mookie Betts is now the King of LA. Kawhi has to take a backseat."