NEW YORK — There was concern heading into the 2024 World Sequence as as to whether or not Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman would even be capable to play. He hobbled by way of the early rounds of the playoffs attributable to a sprained left ankle and had missed a number of video games.
Not solely is he now by way of Sport 3 of the World Sequence in opposition to the Yankees enjoying on that ankle, however he is stolen the present. He is on monitor to win World Sequence MVP, as a result of — after his first-inning residence run — Freeman has now homered in all three video games with the Dodgers profitable all of them.
Sport 3 ended up a 4-2 Dodgers victory, which means Freeman had the game-winning RBI in each Video games 1 and three.
Monday marked the fifth straight World Sequence recreation through which Freeman has homered, persevering with his streak from Video games 5 and 6 of the 2021 World Sequence for the Braves. This ties him for the document with George Springer.
In World Sequence historical past, solely three gamers have ever homered in Video games 1, 2 and three. Hank Bauer did it in 1958 for the Yankees and Barry Bonds did so in 2002 for the Giants. Add Freeman to the checklist there.
Keep in mind, Freeman did not have an extra-base hit, heading into the World Sequence, since Sept. twenty sixth. He hadn’t homered since Sept. 16! The way in which he seemed in these final three video games of the NLCS, it did not appear to be 5 days off had been going to heal him in time for the Fall Basic.
Now he is made residence run historical past. He even tripled in Sport 1. It has been fairly the flip.
The homers have been dramatic, too. Clearly the Sport 1 walk-off grand slam was the most important blow and if the Dodgers win the World Sequence — a fairly nice guess proper now with it being 3-0 within the best-of-seven collection — it’s going to go down as one of the well-known residence runs in historical past. The Sport 2 blast got here as a part of back-to-back photographs with Teoscar Hernández half an inning after the Yankees tied the sport, 1-1.
Right here on Monday evening in Sport 3, Freeman’s lengthy ball gave the Dodgers with a 2-0 lead earlier than the Yankees even acquired to bat. It simply took the air out of what was a raucous Yankee Stadium. The ambiance by no means recovered, although clearly the Yankees’ offensive futility enormously contributed to that.
Freeman appears need to a penchant for large moments within the playoffs. Of his 13 profession postseason residence runs, eight have given his crew the lead, tying him for third all-time behind Jose Altuve (10) and Albert Pujols (9).
He’s, unsurprisingly, operating away with the MVP. DraftKings’ World Sequence MVP odds now have Freeman at -1400 with nobody else nearer than +2000.
Freeman had been so compromised within the first two rounds of the playoffs that it might’ve been argued the Dodgers could be higher with out him. With Shohei Ohtani entrenched at DH, the Dodgers needed to play Freeman on the sphere and he was limping round. He missed two NLCS video games and was 1 for his final 15 on the plate. He was actively hurting them.
Now he is enjoying hero.
“Not shocked he is acting at this degree,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated after Sport 3. “He is been superb within the postseason all through his profession. I believe it is simply the six days earlier than this collection was big — or the 5 days, I believe it was — that gave him an opportunity to type of get out of the woods.
“So now that we’re out of the woods, I believe it is manageable, sustainable. Even going first to 3rd, he did job going first to 3rd. I do not suppose we cashed that one in. Simply I believe that he is in a very great place. Clearly with the swings that he is taken, he can keep agency on his entrance facet.”
Sure, he is gotten in loads of swings this collection. Freeman homered in his first at-bat in Sport 3 to place the Dodgers on high, once more. Within the span of simply 4 days, he is gone from an injured participant who perhaps should not be within the lineup to possible World Sequence MVP.
