Heartwarming story of Dodgers fan's baby and Mookie Betts gets amazing new chapter

Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts has become remarkably accessible since joining Los Angeles in 2020. He hosts his own Bleacher Report podcast, "On Base With Mookie Betts." He participates in charitable bowling events. He tries new things, like the Home Run Derby. He's a model teammate and an adventurous citizen.

Betts' quest to break down boundaries between himself and the crowd might've hit a new level in recent weeks, though.

According to a recent video (sent directly from Betts to his followers Tuesday, of course), one Dodgers fan seated behind the plate, Giuseppe Mancuso, promised the right fielder/occasional second baseman that he'd name his soon-to-be-born daughter after him if he'd only hit a home run.

Considering Betts was facing off with the Oakland A's, such a feat seemed extremely possible.

You know what comes next. Betts went yard, Mancuso was a man of his word, and Francesca Mookie Mancuso was soon born.

Dodgers star Mookie Betts now has a baby namesake

One remaining question: The game was played on Aug. 2. Giuseppe Mancuso announced the child's birth on Aug. 10. His ... pregnant wife allowed him to head to the Dodgers game that close to her delivery date?! That takes stones, my friend. Mancuso's lucky he ran into Betts in the on-deck circle and turned this into an inspirational story. The first draft, of course, was "Husband Really Bums Wife Out."

Easily the coolest part of this story was Betts' heartfelt appreciation for the gesture. It was immediately obvious in his response video that he already felt a kinship with this child, emotionally intoning, "That's my girl" as the clip wrapped.

Betts did not take this lifetime association as an idle gesture. He can't wait to meet Francesca, and he's going to be there for her. Baby Mookie won't just be Betts-related in name only. Get ready to be treated like family, kid. You'll be bowling 300 in no time.