Dodgers: Balloons, Kiké, 5 things we learned from opening night win

5. Mookie Betts does little things to win baseball games

It didn’t take long for Mookie Betts to make an impression on Dodger fans. No, he didn’t hit a long home run, like he did earlier in the week during an intra-squad game. But he showed the intangible things he does to make a difference.

After collecting his first hit in a Dodger uniform with one out in the 7th inning, he reached third base on a Cody Bellinger double. The score was 1-1 at the time, the Dodgers had been struggling to get their juggernaut offense going. And leave it to Betts and Bellinger to be the spark plugs. Something Dodger fans hope to be seeing for years and years to come.

With Betts at third, and the infield partially in, Justin Turner hit a ground ball to second base that was hit hard enough to make it a difficult play to score from third. But Betts did just that, using his quick first step and speed to reach home safely and put the Dodgers up 2-1.

Betts started the night making a statement for social justice by kneeling during the national anthem. He had said before that he wouldn’t take a knee out of respect for his father who served in the Vietnam War, but his viewpoint on doing so has evolved since then.

"“I wasn’t educated,” Betts said when asked how his perspective has changed since September 2016 (via ESPN). “That’s my fault. I need to be educated on the situation. I know my dad served and I’ll never disrespect the flag, but there’s also gotta be change in the world, and kneeling has nothing to do with those who served our country.”"

We also learned that manager Dave Roberts plans on batting Betts in the two-hole against right-handed starters. By doing so, he can move Muncy to the lead-off spot and then effectively alternate left-handed and right-handed batters throughout the order. It also means that Cody Bellinger will bat third instead of fourth, flip-flopping with Justin Turner.