World Series: Heartbeat of the Dodgers Championship Run, Freddie Freeman is the MVP | by Cary Osborne | Oct. 2024

by Cary Osborne

One of Freddie Freeman's best qualities is that he is human.

He admitted something about his 2024 season on the eve of the postseason that made that clear.

“I think everyone here knows it was a lot,” he said.

Personally and professionally it was a lot.

It was August 6 when he returned to the batter's box after an eight-game absence to care for his son Maximus, who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Dodger fans gave him a standing ovation and Freeman's eyes sparkled as he held back tears.

Eleven days later, he injured his finger and left a game in St. Louis early. Scans revealed a hairline fracture.

And throughout September, the career .300 hitter — .300 to be precise — had a batting average on the scoreboard that fell to .280. Most hitters won't tell you they're going for a number. Freeman openly says that .300 is important to him because it is the measure of a good hitter.

When he twisted his ankle — badly — on Sept. 26 during the game in which the Dodgers won the National League West title, he was already riding the rapids of misfortune.

By the time the World Series arrived, Freeman was in crisis. The early morning arrival and hours of treatment to get into the lineup prevented the ankle from deteriorating. But the theory grew that it had an impact on his batting.

He was 1-15 in his last three NLCS games. He did not play in Games 4 and 6.

Six days between games and he was back in the lineup for Game 1 of the World Series.

And by Game 3 of the World Series, it was clear that people were beginning to think Freddie Freeman was superhuman.

The tone of a New York reporter's question to manager Dave Roberts after Game 3 of the World Series revealed clear disbelief at what Freeman had accomplished in the postseason with a sprained ankle.

Teammate Kiké Hernández spoke about it on his Instagram account and mentioned that Freeman should join the superhero group “The Avengers”.

Is it superhuman?

Consider some of Freeman's baserunning plays in the World Series. The Dodgers first baseman fouled a ball on his right ankle in the seventh inning of Game 3, then reached base and hit a fielder's choice groundout in the same at-bat. And then he moved from first to third on a single by Teoscar Hernández.

In Game 4, he grounded out in the fifth inning on a potential inning-ending double play. Instead, he hit the throw to first base, allowing the Dodgers to score and cutting the Yankees' lead to 5-4 at that point.

The answer is now It is superhuman.

Freeman is the MVP of the 2024 World Series.

Freeman's home run in Game 1 ended the game. His home run in Game 2 was the backbreaker. His home runs in Games 3 and 4 set the tone.

Freeman's walk-off home run in the 10th inning gave the Dodgers a 6-3 win in Game 1. It is the only walk-off grand slam in postseason history.