How the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman went from injured uncertainty to becoming the World Series MVP favorite against the Yankees

NEW YORK — Ahead of the 2024 World Series, there were concerns about whether Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman would even be able to play. He limped through the early rounds of the playoffs and missed several games due to a sprained left ankle.

Not only has he now played Game 3 of the World Series against the Yankees, who are playing on that ankle, but he also stole the show. He's well on his way to becoming World Series MVP, as after his home run in the first inning, Freeman has now hit a home run in all three games, with the Dodgers winning all of them.

Game 3 ended with the Dodgers winning 4-2, meaning Freeman had the game-winning RBI in both Game 1 and Game 3.

Monday marked the fifth consecutive World Series game in which Freeman hit a home run, extending his streak from Games 5 and 6 of the 2021 World Series for the Braves. This connects him with George Springer.

In World Series history, only three players have ever hit a home run in Games 1, 2 and 3. Hank Bauer did it for the Yankees in 1958 and Barry Bonds did it for the Giants in 2002. Add Freeman to the list there.

Remember, Freeman hasn't had an extra-base hit since September 26, before the World Series. He hadn't scored since September 16th! The way he looked in the final three games of the NLCS, it didn't seem like five days off would heal him in time for the Fall Classic.

Now he has made home run history. He even tripled in Game 1. It was quite a twist.

The home runs were also dramatic. Obviously, the walk-off grand slam in Game 1 was the biggest setback, and if the Dodgers win the World Series – a pretty good bet right now since they're 3-0 in the best-of-seven series – they will it will go down as one of the most famous home runs in history. The blast in Game 2 came as part of back-to-back shots, with Teoscar Hernández tying the game a half-inning into the Yankees' 1-1 tie.

Here on Monday night in Game 3, Freeman's long ball gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead before the Yankees could even bat. It simply took the air out of loud Yankee Stadium. The atmosphere never recovered, although obviously the Yankees' offensive futility was a major contributing factor.

Freeman seems to have a penchant for big moments in the playoffs. Eight of his 13 postseason home runs led his team, ranking third all-time behind Jose Altuve (10) and Albert Pujols (9).

Unsurprisingly, he runs away with the MVP. The DraftKings World Series MVP odds now have Freeman at -1400, while no one else is closer than +2000.

Freeman had been so hampered in the first two rounds of the playoffs that you would have thought the Dodgers would be better without him. With Shohei Ohtani entrenched as DH, the Dodgers had to play Freeman on the field, and he hobbled around. He missed two NLCS games and finished 1st in his last 15 games. He was actively hurting her.

Now he plays the hero.

“It's not surprising that he's performing at this level,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Game 3. “He's been very good in the postseason his entire career. I think it was just the six days before this series was huge – or the five days, I think it was – that gave him a chance to kind of get out of trouble.

“Now that we’re out of the woods, I think it’s manageable and sustainable. Even though he went from first to third he did a good job. He's in a really good position and can stay firmly on the front with the swings he made.

Yes, he took a lot of swings in this series. Freeman got his first hit in Game 3, putting the Dodgers on top again. In just four days, he went from an injured player who probably shouldn't be on the roster to a likely World Series MVP.