Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman had 12 RBIs in the World Series. He hit a home run in each of the first four games, including a grand slam in the 10th inning to end Game 1. None of those things had been done before since the World Series was first staged in 1903.
Ultimately, Freeman was an easy choice for the World Series Most Valuable Player award, presented on the field after the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 7-6 to claim their eighth championship in franchise history.
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Freeman went 6 for 20 (.300) with four homers and 12 RBIs in the five-game series. The Yankees kept him in the ballpark in Game 5, but could not stop Freeman from claiming his first-ever World Series MVP award.
The 35-year-old veteran is the Dodgers’ first World Series MVP since Corey Seager won the award in 2020.
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The journey to the MVP award was not an easy one.
Freeman sprained his ankle Sept. 26 in a game against the San Diego Padres. Told at the time he suffered the injury that it typically requires a 4- to 6-week recovery timeframe, Freeman attempted to return to the Dodgers’ lineup 10 days later for the National League Division Series.
Although he was in and out of the lineup for the first two rounds of the postseason — a five-game NLDS victory over the San Diego Padres and a six-game NLCS victory over the New York Mets — Freeman did not resemble his usual self at the plate until the World Series.
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Freeman went 4 for 14 with no extra-base hits in four games against the Padres. He went 3 for 18 with no extra-base hits in four games against the Mets.
But during a four-day layoff prior to the World Series, Freeman was able to unlock his power stroke. His grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1 against Nestor Cortes lifted the Dodgers to a 7-3 win that set the tone for the series.
No player had ever ended a World Series game with a grand slam in his team’s final at-bat before.
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“It’s arguably one of the, might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever witnessed — and I’ve witnessed some great ones,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “Once they decided to walk Mookie I just felt good with Freddie at the plate. That swing, you knew it was gone. You don’t see teams celebrate a walk-off after a game like that, but it was certainly warranted.
By hitting home runs in Games 2, 3, and 4, Freeman extended his personal streak of World Series games played with a home run to six — an all-time record.
The World Series MVP award capped a trying season for Freeman. When his 3-year-old son was hospitalized with a rare case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Freeman was placed on the family emergency list on July 26. He would miss the Dodgers’ next eight games.
Freeman finished the regular season with a .282 batting average, 22 home runs and 89 RBIs. His .378 on-base percentage was second on the team to Shohei Ohtani, and fourth in the National League.
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