Canadian Freddie Freeman is the MVP of the World Series

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Dodgers vs. Yankees was considered the most star-studded World Series matchup in a long time. And from Shohei Ohtani's shoulder injury to Aaron Judge's issues at the plate to the plodding Giancarlo Stanton's highly memorable baserunning, some of the biggest names in baseball have given us plenty to talk about (for better or worse).

But the most influential player of the series was Freddie Freeman, a sort of first baseman for the Canadian Dodgers, whose record-breaking home run binge will almost certainly earn him World Series MVP honors when Los Angeles completes a sweep in Game 4 tonight at Yankee Stage.

Freeman has hit a home run in all three games so far. After hitting the first walkoff grand slam in World Series history in the 10th inning of the opening game, Freeman hit a 401-foot solo bomb in the third inning of Game 2. Last night, his two-run pitch in the first gave the Dodgers a 4-2 win and a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Freeman has now hit a low of five straight World Series games, tying current Toronto Blue Jay George Springer's 2019 record with Houston. Freeman's winning streak began in 2021 when his Atlanta Braves defeated the Astros. He now joins Hank Bauer (1958) and Barry Bonds (2002) as the only players to hit a home run in the first three games of a World Series.

Born and raised in Orange County, California, Freeman has dual citizenship through his Canadian-born parents. His mother, Rosemary, was from Peterborough, Ontario, and met his father, Frederick, in Windsor, Ontario, before the couple moved to California and had Freddy and his two older brothers.

Rosemary died of skin cancer in 2000, when Freddie was 10. After playing internationally for the United States at a young age, Freddie decided to attend the 2017 World Baseball Classic in her honor (he also played for Canada in 2023). WBC). Freeman's other tributes to his late mother include wearing long sleeves under his jersey at every game, regardless of the weather, and wearing a necklace with a cross that holds part of her hair in it.

After Freeman hit his historic grand slam in Game 1, he rushed to his father's spot behind the batter's box to celebrate with him. “He’s been giving me batting practice for as long as I can remember,” Freddie said. “My swing is thanks to him. My approach is thanks to him. I am who I am because of him.”

This World Series could be considered the crowning moment of a fantastic career for the 35-year-old Freeman. Along with his 2021 World Series ring, he won the National League MVP award with Atlanta in 2020 and has now finished in the top six in MVP voting five times. The eight-time All-Star earned a Gold Glove in 2018 and won the Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting first baseman in the Netherlands three times in a row from 2019 to 2021. Immediately after winning the 2021 World Series, he left Atlanta for a six-year, $162 million contract with LA.

A lifetime .300 hitter (right on the nose), Freeman has hit at least 20 homers 11 times and reached the 30-homer plateau three times, topping out with 38 in 2019. In 2022, he led the majors with 199 hits. The following year, he hit a career-high 211 hits and made history as the only first baseman to record 200 hits, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season.

That's a pretty impressive resume. And considering that no team has ever blown a 3-0 lead in the World Series, there's a good chance Freeman will add another MVP.