The Mookie Betts curse? Dodgers star makes ominous World Series history

The curse of Mookie? Ex-Red Sox star makes ominous WS history originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

If you're a Boston Red Sox fan and believe in bad omens, you may not want to read this article.

Mookie Betts made his World Series debut for the Dodgers on Tuesday night, just over eight months after the Red Sox traded him to Los Angeles.

Here's how he fared in Game 1, an 8-3 Dodgers victory:

2 for 4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SB

That's called stuffing the stat sheet. It's also called history, as Betts became the first player ever to record two steals, two runs and a home run in a World Series game.

But that's not the stat that should give superstitious Red Sox fans pause. It's this one:

Betts joined Babe Ruth as the only two players to walk and swipe two bases in the same inning of a World Series game. And Ruth accomplished his feat in 1921 -- two years after Red Sox owner Harry Frazee infamously sold his contract to the New York Yankees.

While Ruth's Yankees didn't win the World Series that year, the "Curse of the Bambino" hung over the Red Sox for 86 years from 1918 until their next World Series title in 2004.

2020 World Series odds: Betts is the current MVP favorite

Betts helped Boston win a championship in his second-to-last season in Boston, just like Ruth did with the 1918 Red Sox. So, will Sox fans have to wait another 86 years for their next title as the "Curse of Mookie" takes hold?

Probably not. But given the state of the current roster, it'll probably be a while.