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Freddie Freeman delivers a World Series title after months of anguish

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3 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

Freddie Freeman delivers a World Series title after months of anguish

NEW YORK − It’s the wee hours of Thursday and Freddie Freeman was in a rush, strolling within the tunnel within the bowels of Yankee Stadium.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had simply gained the World Collection championship earlier within the evening. He was voted the Most Helpful Participant award. He sprayed champagne along with his teammates. He embraced his father on the sector. He hugged and kissed his spouse and son.

He was nearly to return to the raucous clubhouse when he was requested about that harrowing, emotional time in late July, the one that almost turned his life the wrong way up.

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Freeman’s eyes moistened, his voice barely quivered and he confided he was scared, terrified to be trustworthy.

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If the medical doctors didn’t come by way of, he might need missed all of this, the best triumph of his baseball profession.

It had nothing to do along with his severely sprained proper ankle, the one which left him in a strolling boot, along with his father, Fred, driving him for six hours of remedy every day in late September.

“I used to be watching him get pushed and prodded,” Fred Freeman stated. “And for per week doing that, it was past what any human ought to do, and he was doing it. I don’t know some other particular person that might have finished it.”

This had nothing to do along with his struggles, a sudden lack of energy, and sitting out in three of the Dodgers’ first 11 postseason video games, hitting nothing extra damaging that singles.

This needed to do with Maximus, his 3-year-old son. Freeman needed to depart the group for eight days in July. He critically thought-about the potential for not coming again till subsequent spring.

“The whole lot was going by way of my thoughts on the time,” Freeman, 35, instructed USA TODAY Sports activities within the aftermath of Dodgers’ 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees that clinched their eighth World Collection title. “I knew I wanted to be with my household. If Max was going to be OK then I used to be going to in the end play.”

Freeman paused after which softly stated, “If Max was by no means Okay, then I in all probability wouldn’t be right here.’’

Freeman’s thoughts raced again to this summer season. Someday, Maximus is operating round like each different toddler. The subsequent, he’s getting a name from his spouse, Chelsea, telling him that their son is preventing for his life.

Maximus was positioned on a respirator for days, hospitalized for eight in a pediatric intensive care unit and had no feeling beneath his neck. He was recognized with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a situation by which the physique’s immune system assaults its nerves.

“The medical doctors ultimately instructed us that Max was going to be okay,’’ stated Chelsea Freeman, Freddie’s spouse and mom of their three youngsters. “But when that wasn’t the case, completely, I feel Freddie would have stopped. It could have been too arduous.”

Fred Freeman, who raised Freddie and his two brothers by himself after his spouse, Rosemary, died of melanoma when Freddie was 10, wasn’t certain it might have been attainable for Freeman to return to the Dodgers this 12 months if something occurred to Max.

“Freddie could be very emotional, similar to his mother,” Fred Freeman stated. “That Friday evening, we weren’t certain if he was going to make it. We had been praying so arduous he’d be there within the morning. They began the drugs and put him on respiration and feeding tubes. He was paralyzed from the mouth down, after which after six hours, there’s slightly shrug of the shoulders and the physician stated he’s going to be high-quality.”

In three months, Max has slowly realized to stroll once more and be himself, marveling with everybody else as his dad placed on one of many biggest offensive performances in World Collection historical past.

He hit .300 and had a 1.000 OPS with a triple, 4 homers and 12 RBI, tying Bobby Richardson of the 1960 Yankees for probably the most RBI in a World Collection, regardless of enjoying solely 5 video games. He joined Babe Ruth as the one participant to have at the least two homers and a triple within the first two video games of a World Collection.

He was the apparent choice for the World Collection MVP, changing into the primary Dodger first baseman to win the award.

“It does really feel like he’s a Dodger now,” Fred Freeman stated. “He’s positively a Dodger. He looks like a Dodger. He appears like a Dodger. And he’s a Dodger.

“It was so arduous with every part he went by way of with the season, the entire turmoil, Max, his ankle, good issues ought to occur to him and so they did.

“God, I’m so happy with him.”

It doesn’t matter what Freeman does the remainder of his profession, his efficiency this postseason shall be remembered nothing in need of legendary. He limped his means by way of the primary two rounds, had 5 days off between the NLCS and the World Collection after which returned to grow to be the best participant on the sector in probably the most important time of the season.

“He in all probability shouldn’t have been enjoying,” Fred Freeman stated, “however Doc (supervisor Dave Roberts) stated, ‘No matter you can provide me, your presence there’ll at the least scare any person.'”

He wound up punishing the Yankees, altering the complexion of the World Collection with one swing of the bat when he hit a two-out walk-off grand slam within the 10^th inning of Recreation 1.

The Yankees had been by no means the identical, similar to the heavily-favored Oakland A’s weren’t in 1988 when Kirk Gibson hobbled to the plate and hit a walk-off homer off Corridor of Fame nearer Dennis Eckersley.

“We felt fairly good coming in,’’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy stated, “however when you may have one thing particular like that occur, wow, that simply sort of kick-started it. I assumed it was fairly becoming for Freddie to do what he did on this World Collection.’’

Let’s see, he hit the game-winning homer within the 10^th inning in Recreation 1, the primary walk-off grand slam in World Collection historical past.

He hit his second homer within the third inning in Recreation 2.

He hit his third homer within the first inning of Recreation 3, tying a World Collection document.

His fourth got here within the first inning of Recreation 4, setting a World Collection document.

And he almost hit his fifth homer within the fourth inning of Recreation 5, however nonetheless drove in two runs within the Dodgers’ key fifth inning.

“Freddie gained the MVP on one leg,’’ Dodgers All-Star proper fielder Mookie Betts stated. “That permit you understand how good he’s.

Freeman got here by way of repeatedly whereas teammate Shohei Ohtani hit .105 with out an RBI and Muncy didn’t get successful. Nonetheless, he gave his teammates and Roberts the entire credit score. He wouldn’t have had the RBI manufacturing, he stated, if his teammates weren’t on base. He wouldn’t be hitting the house runs with out having the most effective medical doctors and trainers. And naturally, he wouldn’t even be enjoying baseball with out his father.

“That is every part you’ll be able to presumably ask for,” Freeman stated, “It looks like we hit each velocity bump attainable over the course of this 12 months. We confronted each adversity attainable. We overcame each single one.

“This implies every part.’’

Freeman, after clutching and kissing the World Collection championship trophy and hoisting the MVP trophy above his head, left the stage alongside along with his teammates after the award presentation. They gathered for a group picture in heart subject. He then walked over to his household standing close by. He hugged his dad with out eager to let go, telling him he beloved him after which his spouse and son.

He then strolled throughout the sector, entered the dugout, reached the clubhouse and took half within the celebrations, stopping each jiffy to present one other interview.

He was then instructed by MLB officers that he wanted to go to a press convention for his MVP award. He was stopped by a number of followers and officers for photos. All of the sudden he noticed the time and couldn’t consider how late it was. It was almost 1 a.m. ET and the group airplane was scheduled to go away at 2:50 a.m. ET.

The Dodgers weren’t about to go away with out him.

Freeman had another duty. He was directed again onto the sector for a reside interview with the MLB Community. He agreed, however wished his entire household on the set together with him. He received off the set and walked in direction of the infield for household photos. He headed again to the clubhouse, however not earlier than being stopped in entrance of the dugout for a short interview with “Good Morning America.’’

By the point Freeman walked again inside, the visiting clubhouse attendants had been whisking away the entire empty beer cans and champagne bottles. He grabbed his garments and headed to the bathe to prepare for the flight again house.

It could be an extended evening, with the Dodgers not scheduled to reach in Los Angeles till about 6:30 within the morning. He wished to make amends for his sleep, however he’s received a parade to catch. The Dodgers’ first parade since 1988 is scheduled Friday in downtown Los Angeles on what could be the 64^th birthday of the late Fernando Valenzuela.

“Man, what an evening,” Freeman stated. “What a season. An unbelievable season. It looks like we hit each velocity bump attainable over the course of this 12 months. And to beat what we did as a bunch of men, it is particular.’’

And what Freeman did individually will reside on endlessly in Dodger historical past.

“The entire postseason,” Muncy stated, “we stored going to Freddie and saying ‘Hey, we received you. We all know you’re grinding for us proper now, however we received you.’

“And this World Collection, Freddie instructed us, ‘Hey, I received you guys. You lined me. Now I received you.’ And that’s precisely what occurred.”

The adrenaline rush of the postseason, the euphoria of profitable and the prayers for him and his household, Freeman says, allowed all of this to occur.

“I’m blessed,” he stated, “I’m actually blessed.”

Freeman walked to his locker, stripped off his uniform one final time this season, and all of that ache in his throbbing ankle instantly was gone.

Life, it might probably drive you loopy, however oh, can it ever be the final word gratification.

“I want I might by no means needed to undergo what we did as a household,” Freeman stated, “however in the end Maximus is doing actually, rather well proper now. He is a particular boy, but it surely has been a grind for 3 months. It actually has. It has been lots.

“Clearly with the accidents, it makes all of it value it sort of in the long run.

“I will by no means examine Maximus to baseball. I will not. It is simply two separate issues, however with him doing rather well now, it does imply slightly bit further.”

Maximus, who had an ear an infection, wasn’t capable of take a six-hour flight and attend the video games in New York, however everybody will see him Friday. He’ll be the little man sitting along with his household on the parade, watching the whole metropolis of Los Angeles and Dodger group have fun his dad.

“Freddie was simply unbelievable,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman stated. “It’s an incredible storybook into his 12 months, and his October, that was so loopy I don’t suppose that script would have been accepted.

“For him to do what he did, and get there seven hours, eight hours earlier than a recreation, making ready himself to play as many instances as he may to assist us win 11 video games, it’s not going to get almost sufficient credit score for what he put himself by way of.

“Wonderful, completely superb.’’

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