NEW YORK — Freddie Freeman clutched the World Series MVP trophy and hoisting it high into the air after the Los Angeles Dodgers’ championship Wednesday night, let his emotions seep out, knowing just what this meant to him.
Freeman carried the Dodgers to a five-game conquest, hitting a home run in each of the first four games, driving in a World Series franchise-record 12 runs.
‘This is everything,’ Freeman said.
Few people outside his own family have the slightest of the frustrations, angst and fear that he endured throughout the season, only to culminate in baseball’s ultimate prize.
“I really don’t think you guys have any idea what he’s put himself through to be able to play for this,’ Dodgers utilityman fielder Enrique Hernandez said. “Superhero [stuff].
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“I expect Freddie to never pay for a meal ever again in LA.’
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Freeman, who suffered a severely sprained right ankle on Sept. 26, didn’t even know he’d be healthy enough to play in the postseason, missing three games in the first two rounds. Then again, he didn’t know if he’d even play again when he took a leave of absence in late July to be with his son, Maximus, who was hospitalized for eight days in a pediatric intensive care unit, battling a rare neurological disorder.
He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its nerves, causing weakness, numbness and paralysis. He had no feeling below his neck and was on a ventilator to reinforce his lungs.
“He didn’t deserve this,’ Freeman said when he returned in August. ‘No one deserves this, anybody who goes through this. It’s not just my family. We were going every night, and every room is filled in the [pediatric ICU]. And that is heartbreaking. So many families are going through things like this. We’re one of the lucky ones that got Guillain-Barré that he might have a full recovery. There are kids out there who are fighting for their lives right now. It just puts everything in perspective.
‘I know Dodger fans don’t like this, but I would gladly strike out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the World Series 300 million times in a row than see that again.’
Well, not only is Maximus walking again and on his way to recovery, but Freddie Freeman certainly did not strike out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning in Game 7.
He not only hit a home run in each of the four games, but also set the Major League record by homering in six consecutive World Series games, stretching back to 2021 when he won the World Series with Atlanta.
Freeman, playing on a gimpy ankle that needed nearly five hours of treatment just to play, failing to produce an extra-base hit in the first two rounds of the postseason, put on one of the best power displays in World Series history.
He hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history in Game 1, a solo homer in Game 2, a two-run homer in Game 3, and another two-run homer in Game 4.
“It’s not just because of what he’s done [in the World Series],’ Hernandez said, “but because of what he’s done the last month to put himself in a position of where he can just show up and wear cleats.’
The biggest break, Freeman said, was that by losing Game 5 of the NLCS against the New York Mets, it forced the World Series to start three days later, giving Freeman four full days to recover.
“I really needed that,’ Freeman said. “That was huge for me.’
And a World Series difference-maker for the Dodgers.
“He’s given us everything,’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, “he’s literally given us his body. What Freddie has done is amazing.’
Says Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux: “This guy’s been doing it one foot, and broken bones all over the place, and still putting his body on the line every day. … It’s been really fun to watch him do what he’s doing after everything he’s gone through this year.
“He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s just Freddie Freeman.’
He long has been one of the best players in the game, with a glossy resume: eight-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, eight top-10 MVP finishes and the 2020 MVP.
Yet, as great of a player as he is on the field, the Dodgers will tell you he’s even a finer person and one of the game’s greatest clubhouse leaders.
“He really is just one of those guys that has been unbelievable to be around, sit down, talk to,’ Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty said. “Even if it’s not baseball, just anything else that goes on. He’s a good dude. … He’s just one of the guys and somebody that really loves this game, really enjoys it and shows up every day.’
Freeman, 35, shrugs. That’s his DNA. He averaged 160 games a year for the past six years entering the season. If you’re not on the injured list, you better should be playing, Freeman believes.
“The last couple of months have been a lot,’ Freeman said, “but my job is to play baseball. That’s how I was raised. That’s what my job is. You do it every day, no matter the circumstances.’
That’s what World Series MVP winners do.
