Dodgers Freddie Freeman improbable journey to possible World ...

Freddie Freeman has been a model of consistency throughout his career, playing in at least 158 games every full season from 2018-2023 before this year. For the first time in his Dodgers tenure, Freeman experienced issues on and off the field that prevented him from emulating his Iron Man status.

Back in July, Freeman’s son, Maximus, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, forcing him to abandon the team as they ventured to Houston for a three game series against the Astros. Freeman would miss eight games before returning to the team in early August.

The same game that the Dodgers clinched their eleventh division title over the past 12 seasons, Freeman sprained his right ankle, an injury with a prognosis of around four to six weeks of recovery, and missed the final regular season series.

Freddie Freeman, however, is not the type to back down in the face of adversity.

Freeman opened the 2024 postseason with a two-hit performance against the San Diego Padres in a Game 1 win, but the ankle became too much to bear as he was removed in the following game.

The Dodgers over their next three games went from facing elimination in the first round for a third straight year to taking down San Diego and advancing to the NLCS for the first time since 2021. Freeman was hardly an impact bat in that time frame, registering two hits in seven at bats while missing the Dodgers’ Game 4 romp of the Padres.

Freeman had a decent start to the NLCS against the New York Mets, recording another multi-hit performance in Game 1, but his bat fell silent the rest of the way, as he tallied just one hit over his next 15 at-bats. His ankle continued to limit his on-field performance, and as a result, he missed both Game 4 and the series clinching Game 6.

Over those two series, Freeman slashed .219/.242/.219 with just one RBI, striking out six times and walking just once. As the Dodgers prepared for a World Series matchup against the Yankees, worries about Freeman’s health continued to surface.

Thankfully for Freeman, Game 1 of the 2021 World Series came 29 days after initially suffering his ankle injury, and he showed that his ankle was feeling better in his first World Series at-bat since 2021.

Freeman failed to record an extra-base hit in the two previous rounds, but in his first at-bat against the reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole, Freeman legged out a triple for his first extra base hit since his final regular season game on September 26.

With the Dodgers down 3-2 with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, Freeman cracked the first pitch he saw from Nestor Cortes Jr. for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. Two at-bats later in Game 2, and Freeman once again went deep off of a left-hander, slugging a solo home run off of Carlos Rodón to go back-to-back with Teoscar Hernández.

In his first at-bat at Yankee Stadium in the series, Freeman continued his electric pace with a two-run home run off of Clarke Schmidt in Monday’s Game 3 victory over New York, putting the Dodgers just one win shy of the ultimate prize.

Freeman has been nothing short of a spark plug within the Dodgers’ lineup this series, as through the first three games, he is slashing .333/.385/1.250 with three home runs and seven RBI, completely reversing the negative trajectory of his overall playoff numbers this year (cumulative OPS of .783 entering Game 4).

Recording the first ever walk-off grand slam in Fall Classic history is reason enough to make Freddie Freeman a potential candidate for World Series MVP. Just as he did in the regular season throughout his career, Freeman is playing at a consistently proficient level, as he has, dating back to 2021 with Atlanta, now tied George Springer with five consecutive World Series game with a home run.

Freeman displayed shades of Kirk Gibson with his grand slam, but unlike the 1988 NL MVP, Freeman has more than just one at-bat in the World Series and has come through for the Dodgers in each of the first three games.

The Dodgers are now just 27 outs away from bringing home the Commissioner’s Trophy for the first time in four years, and the bullpen will be heavily taxed in hopes to outmatch the rookie Luis Gil. The offense might have to replicate what they did in the NLCS, where they scored at least eight runs in each of their wins, and having a healthier Freddie Freeman goes a long way in getting there.