Mookie Betts was a crucial part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' World Series championship run.
Betts dominated the postseason with a .296/.378/.493 line in 18 games, which included a sixth-inning double during the go-ahead rally in the sixth inning and a solo home run in the eighth inning to clinch the title in Game 6.
The former AL MVP was acquired by the Dodgers this past offseason in a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox, having already established himself as one of the league's best players.
While his MLB career began in Boston, Betts is a native of Nashville, where he was a standout for John Overton High School and was committed to college baseball at the University of Tennessee before instead opting to sign with the Red Sox organization after being selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.
Betts isn't the only sports star with ties to Nashville and its surrounding areas. Here are five sports stars you may not have known are from Middle Tennessee.
NFL- Bill Belichick, Head Coach, Nashville, TN
Bill Belichick's path to six Super Bowl championships began in Nashville, where he was born in 1952. His father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt University.
While the Patriots head coach may spend most of his time in the New England area, he and his girlfriend, Linda Holliday, who grew up in Brentwood, also have a home together in Franklin.
NBA- JJ Redick, Shooting Guard, Cookeville, TN
JJ Redick is one of the most decorate players in Duke basketball history and has enjoyed an impressive 14-year NBA career. Redick played high school basketball in Roanoke, Virginia, but is a native of Cookeville, Tennessee.
Oscar Robertson, NBA, Charlotte, TN
Oscar Robertson is one of the great players in NBA history, but his ties to Middle Tennessee might be a surprise. Robertson was born in Charlotte, Tennessee, which is located in Dickson County, but moved to Indianapolis, Indiana when he was approximately 18 months old.
Wilma Rudolph, Track & Field, Saint Bethlehem (Clarksville), TN
Wilma Rudolph was a world-record-holding Olympic champion and track and field pioneer, regarded as the most highly visible Black female athlete in the early 1960s. Rudolph was born in the former Montgomery County unincorporated community of Saint Bethlehem, which is now part of Clarksville, attended Tennessee State University in Nashville, died in Brentwood.
U.S. Highway 79 between I-24 and Red River bridge in Clarksville is also named Wilma Rudolph Boulevard in her honor.
NFL- Golden Tate, Hendersonville, TN
Golden Tate gained national attention as a standout wide receiver and kick returner during his collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame, before finding similar success in the NFL.
Tate was born in Hendersonville and was a standout multi-sport athlete for John Paul II High School prior to enrolling at Notre Dame in 2007.
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