Don Mattingly, the Dodgers hitting coach who spent his entire 14-year career as a player with the Yankees, likens Ethier to Paul O’Neill, a former Yankees teammate and another lefty with a swing of beauty, in both talent and temperament. Either during or after an at-bat, both could go off at any time. Also like O’Neill, Mattingly said, “When he gets mad, he concentrates more. I tell him, you’re an East Coasty guy. The key is not letting him get so frustrated. He gets so mad and is so hard on himself. With ‘Dre sometimes the wires cross and we can’t get him back.”

During one game this year against the Rockies, Ethier battled through an 11-pitch at-bat, a battle he eventually lost. When he got back to the dugout, he was fuming. Mattingly gently told him that he’d had a great at-bat, which did nothing to douse his fury. “I didn’t get a hit,” he practically spat. “It’s not a great at-bat.”