LOS ANGELES -- Mookie Betts was the hottest hitter on the planet for the first month of the season. When he returned from a fractured left hand in August, Betts also showed some of those flashes at the plate.

But through every hot streak Betts had this season, his message remained the same.

“I just need to make sure it happens when it matters,” Betts said.

It’s the mentality Betts has always had, but it took a different meaning heading into the 2024 season. Betts -- along with Freddie Freeman – didn’t produce at the clip everyone has grown accustomed to from the two stars. Betts and Freeman combined to go 1-for-21 in the three-game sweep against the D-backs.

For Betts, it was the first time in his decorated career that he was held hitless in a postseason series. It was a short sample size, but that didn’t stop Betts from constantly thinking about last year’s failure and losing sleep over it.

“To go out and not have success, I don’t know what else to possibly do,” Betts said. “You get to a point where you’re like, ‘I’ve done everything possible that I know to be successful and I wasn’t.’ It just crushes you, bro. It crushes you. Especially during a time when the team needs you, everyone needs you. That’s what sucks.”

Having Shohei Ohtani, Freeman and the rest of the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup should help Betts not put all the pressure on his shoulders. But Betts also understands his responsibility as a star player.

After popping out four times against the Padres in the last regular-season series between the two division rivals, Betts spent more than an hour the following day inside the batting cage working on his swing and mechanics. Teammates estimated Betts took somewhere between 300 and 400 swings.

He did it again after being taken out of the game early Sept. 27 against the Rockies. It’s not unusual for Betts to grind through his swing throughout the season. But the intensity has heightened this season. The postseason failure is usually front of mind.

“I still haven’t,” Betts said, when asked how long it took to move on from last October. “Obviously when you go home, you can kind of do what you can to shut that part out. It still eats at you. It still does right now. Last year kills me just to even think about it. But the more I keep looking back there, the less I’m looking forward to the next opportunity.”

Betts has been on both sides of success and failure throughout his career. He has played integral parts of two teams that have won the World Series, including being the missing piece during the Dodgers’ 2020 title run.

On the other hand, Betts has also experienced postseason failure, which has been heightened the last two Octobers. The responsibility that comes with being a star player is something Betts fully understands at this point in his career.

On Saturday, Betts will get another opportunity to add a chapter to his likely Hall of Fame career. It’s the moment he’s been waiting for since the Dodgers were swept out of the postseason a year ago.

“He’s looking forward to another opportunity to perform in the postseason,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “He’s as prepared as any player I’ve seen. He certainly wants to show well, and obviously, we’re all judged on the postseason. That’s part of it.”