The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is producing a new movie. On Monday, he announced the project away from the field. He’s producing a movie titled “Cannon Street All-Stars.”
Los Angeles clinched a playoff berth the same day, beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-1. The win pushed them to 91-59 with 12 games left. It marks the Dodgers’ 14th straight postseason appearance.
However, Betts did little to contribute to that win. He went 0-for-4. No hits, home runs or RBIs.
He is having a down year by his standards.
Betts is batting .248 with 20 home runs, 62 RBIs and 108 hits this season. His career average sits at .288. Betts won AL MVP in 2018 and has made eight All-Star teams.
Off the diamond, however, he is excelling in his projects.
More on Mookie Betts’ Latest Project
Betts is producing the film alongside Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, Deadline reported in an exclusive Monday.
Director Reggie Rock Bythewood and his wife, Gina Prince-Bythewood, are developing the project through their company, Undisputed Cinema. Bythewood will write and direct.
The film tells the true story of the Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars. The all-Black Little League team from Charleston, South Carolina, tried to enter the 1955 state tournament.
Little League baseball in the South remained segregated at the time, eight years after Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color line. The team’s push sparked forfeits and national attention. The Jackie Robinson Foundation backs the project.
Bythewood called the film overdue recognition. Surviving players were honored at last year’s Little League World Series. “Now it is time to honor them on film,” Bythewood said.
Betts produces through his company, OMG Entertainment, alongside Cam Lewis and Omar Bradford. Curry produces through Unanimous Media with Sharla Sumpter Bridgett. Debra Martin Chase and E. Monique Floyd also produce.
Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman Latest Updates
Despite clinching the postseason, few key pieces remain uncertain.
Shohei Ohtani is on the 15-day injured list with left knee and right biceps issues. He landed there Sept. 11.
Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Ohtani could begin swinging off a tee as early as this week. The Dodgers expect Ohtani back as a hitter in late September. He won’t pitch again this season. Ohtani is batting .277 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs this year.
Freddie Freeman sat out Monday’s game to rest a sore right knee, described as patellar tendinitis. The team does not plan to place him on the injured list. Freeman is expected back in the lineup Tuesday.
Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Announces Personal News After Securing Post-Season Berth