How Freddie Freeman's World Series grand slam changed him -- and Dodgers fans -- forever

LOS ANGELES -- The representation of a triumphant Freddie Freeman from the nighttime of Oct. 25, 2024 -- midstroll, look stoic, close manus pointed upward -- has been tattooed connected assemblage parts each implicit L.A. County. Freeman himself has signed 4 of them, 3 connected shins and 1 connected an arm. He utilized to spell practically anyplace successful Southern California without getting recognized, adjacent successful the areas wherever helium grew up. Now that ne'er happens. Fans attack him everywhere, galore recounting precisely wherever they were erstwhile helium deed the walk-off expansive slam successful Game 1 of the World Series that helped propel the Los Angeles Dodgers to a championship. Often they conscionable say, Thank you.

"I'm blessed astir it," Freeman said. "It means thing bully happened, right? You don't effort and anticipation for that infinitesimal to happen; it conscionable benignant of comes to you, and you anticipation that you're acceptable for the moment. There's truthful galore times erstwhile I failed, and nary 1 truly remembers the failures."

Freeman's location run, the archetypal of 4 successful a World Series that saw him nutrient a 1.364 OPS and triumph MVP honors, has been depicted connected countless bobbleheads, T-shirts and paintings. It has aired connected Dodger Stadium's videoboard earlier each location crippled and mightiness proceed being played determination forever, overmuch similar Kirk Gibson's heroics from 36 years earlier.

Freeman is hitting amended than helium ever has successful his age-35 season, adjacent portion battling the aforesaid ankle wounded that plagued him successful October. Somehow, helium has been much productive successful his 30s than helium was successful his 20s. Reaching 3,000 hits, an astir unimaginable feat during specified a pitcher-dominant era, remains a chiseled possibility. The Hall of Fame is simply a adjacent certainty. But 1 plaything connected 1 nighttime volition successful immoderate ways outshine thing Freeman ever accomplishes, a world emphasized by the Yankees' instrumentality to Dodger Stadium this weekend.

"And that's OK," Freeman said. "Something large happened for america to triumph a World Series, and I loved each 2nd of it."

Freeman is arsenic stringent astir his regular arsenic immoderate athlete, but he's besides sentimental. And portion respective of his teammates spoke earlier this twelvemonth astir the value of moving connected successful hopes of avoiding a letdown, Freeman wondered wherefore it couldn't beryllium both. In his mind, 1 tin savor an accomplishment portion preparing for another. He recovered himself wanting to marinate successful that moment, mostly due to the fact that helium has played agelong capable to admit its singularity.

One enactment with a fan, lasting each of 3 minutes, reinforced that.

Freeman was among a radical of Dodgers players astatine a Jan. 31 luncheon for those impacted by the L.A. wildfires; it was portion of the team's yearly assemblage tour. There, a antheral recounted however helium gave up drinking connected the nighttime of Freeman's location run. Freeman tin callback each item from that conversation. The instrumentality sat successful the right-field conception and vowed to stay sober successful bid to beryllium much contiguous for his 2 sons. Freeman's location tally shot sailed implicit their heads, and each his sons wanted to bash was play shot the adjacent morning. Typically, the antheral told Freeman, he'd beryllium excessively hungover to articulation them. This clip helium had the vigor to play each day. The instrumentality said helium hadn't touched intoxicant since.

"Just chills," Freeman said portion relaying that story. "And you deliberation astir however not conscionable shot but sports tin interaction people's lives successful specified a affirmative mode that to beryllium capable to beryllium portion of thing similar that is simply a beauteous peculiar thing. I emotion this game. This crippled helped maine get done hard times erstwhile I mislaid my ma and worldly similar that; maine and my dada would beryllium retired present playing baseball, doing things.

"It helps. And erstwhile you travel afloat ellipse 25 years later, erstwhile you're 35 and you make a infinitesimal for idiosyncratic -- that's what this is each astir for me. I emotion winning and championships, but to cognize that I was capable to interaction someone's beingness successful specified a affirmative mode -- I inactive don't cognize if I tin grasp it."

When Freeman crossed location plate, the archetypal happening helium did was dart toward his father, Fred, and high-five him done the netting down location plate. Freeman's parent died owed to melanoma erstwhile helium was 10. But Fred had besides mislaid his wife. His full beingness was turned upside down. Still, helium continued to amusement up for his children. Baseball became their therapy. That fan's communicative made Freeman deliberation astir however those 2 boys could beryllium impacted by their dada showing up for them, too, and however 1 infinitesimal tin person specified a far-reaching impact.

"Sports is cool, man," Freeman said, shaking his head. "Like, it tin bash truthful galore bully things for truthful galore people."

Freeman had struggled during the archetypal 3 weeks of past postseason portion playing done the close ankle wounded helium suffered connected Sept. 26, the nighttime the Dodgers clinched a first-round bye, and the rib wounded helium sustained a week later. Near the extremity of the National League Championship Series, helium struggled to clasp his beforehand broadside successful the batter's box. Any effort to enactment unit connected the crushed caused Freeman's ft to rotation over. As it turned out, a Game 5 nonaccomplishment to the New York Mets was a godsend.

MLB had implemented a tweak successful its postseason docket that allowed the World Series to statesman aboriginal if some leagues concluded their title bid successful 5 games oregon fewer. The Yankees complied, dispatching the Cleveland Guardians successful Game 5. But the Dodgers mislaid to the Mets, extending the bid to a sixth game.

Said Freeman: "It changed everything for me."

Instead of getting lone 3 days disconnected earlier the World Series, Freeman sat for Game 6, watched the Dodgers bullpen their mode to a pennant, and by the clip the Yankees arrived astatine Dodger Stadium for Game 1, helium had received six afloat days of rest. He was abruptly a much implicit mentation of himself, mobile capable to limb retired a first-inning triple and flexible capable to crook connected Nestor Cortes' 10th-inning fastball, sending it 413 feet to present 1 of the astir iconic moments successful postseason history. The Dodgers won the bid successful five.

"So galore small things," Freeman said, "and it could've gone truthful galore antithetic ways."

Freeman felt bully capable aft the World Series to presume remainder unsocial would heal his ankle. Four weeks later, helium could hardly walk. Imaging revealed helium had torn 4 ligaments. Surgery was required. Freeman spent the adjacent 4 months rehabbing methodically, past slipped successful his ablution connected March 30, reaggravating his ankle and prompting a abbreviated stint connected the injured list.

In his archetypal 11 games back, Freeman batted conscionable .250. His hips were opening excessively aboriginal and his plaything wasn't staying successful the onslaught portion agelong enough, the continuation of a mechanical contented helium spent astir of the erstwhile twelvemonth moving through. But a sixth-inning, opposite-field azygous against Paul Skenes connected April 25 unlocked a feeling Freeman had been searching for. Since then, helium is slashing .412/.474/.647 successful 31 games. His .368 batting mean and 1.065 OPS this play fertile higher than everyone not named Aaron Judge. His 186 weighted runs created positive is tied for his vocation best, acceptable during the COVID-19-shortened season, erstwhile helium was named NL MVP.

A Dodgers squad that was expected by galore to situation the regular-season wins grounds presently has 14 pitchers connected the injured database and has had to scrap conscionable to support a flimsy borderline implicit the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants successful the NL West, portion sitting astatine 35-22. Through that, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Freeman has unlocked different level of intensity.

"He's dialed in," Roberts said. "It's not arsenic lax strength arsenic helium typically is; it's much of an edgy intensity."

Daily attraction connected Freeman's close ankle has been reduced from arsenic galore arsenic 4 hours past October to arsenic small arsenic 40 minutes. It feels importantly better, but trainers person told him it won't beryllium afloat close until immoderate clip astir the All-Star break. Freeman inactive wears bottommost lifts successful his cleats to alleviate immoderate of the discomfort. His archetypal fewer steps successful the greeting inactive travel with agonizing pain. The Dodgers won't fto him bargain bases, adjacent erstwhile the clip is connected his side, a regularisation that gnaws astatine him. But the accumulation continues.

Freeman is connected gait for 7.1 FanGraphs wins supra replacement this season, which would correspond the second-highest full of his career. If helium gets there, he'll fertile seventh among archetypal basemen successful fWAR compiled betwixt ages 31 and 35, down lone Roger Connor, Willie Stargell, Bill Terry, Mark McGwire, Stan Musial and Lou Gehrig. If helium accumulates conscionable 75 much hits, a adjacent certainty if helium avoids prolonged injury, helium volition person compiled much than 2,400 by season's end, giving him a warring accidental astatine 3,000 successful the backmost fractional of his 30s.

In his 20s, Freeman slashed .293/.379/.504. In his 30s, helium has upped that to .317/.405/.533. These days, Freeman has an added inducement to stay productive:

He wants each those tattoos of his location tally to clasp up.

"I request to enactment good," Freeman said, "so that hopefully they inactive admit those successful 30 years."