NEW YORK − Freddie Freeman, who needs nearly five hours of treatment each day for his badly sprained ankle, may not have the luxury of using ice when he arrives Tuesday night for Game 4 of the World Series.
The Dodgers will need all of that ice to assure they can keep those hundreds of bottles of champagne and beer cans cold for the raucous celebration they’re planning.
The Dodgers are on the brink of capturing the World Series title after beating the New York Yankees once again Monday, 4-2, in front of a subdued crowd at Yankee Stadium.
The Dodgers are the 25th team in World Series history to go up 3-games-to-0, and 21 of those previous series ended in a sweep. The Yankees have trailed 3-0 in six postseason series in franchise history and have been swept each time.
So, the way the Dodgers figure it, a sweep provides them more time to get ready for their parade, which is tentatively scheduled Friday in downtown Los Angeles, their first World Series parade since 1988.
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The Dodgers won the World Series during the pandemic in 2020, but with COVID-19, there was no parade or even a wild champagne celebration.
“We want that parade,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We never got a chance to celebrate with the city of Los Angeles. That’s something of incentive.
“But outside of that, you have an opportunity to be a world champion. So, we’re right there. That’s more than enough incentive and motivation.’’
Freeman doesn’t need the motivation. What he’s doing now, night after night, homer after homer on baseball’s biggest stage, is cementing a legacy that may never be forgotten in Dodgers history.
“I expect Freddie to never pay for a meal ever again in LA,’’ Dodgers outfielder Kiké Hernández said. “It’s not just because of what he’s done the last three games, but because of what he’s done the last month to put himself in a position of where he can just show up and wear cleats.
“I really don’t think you guys have any idea what he’s put himself through to be able to play for this.
“It’s starting to become some superhero (stuff).’’
Freeman, hobbling on one leg since severely spraining his ankle in the final week of the regular season, is putting one of the greatest World Series power shows since the days of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.
He has homered in every game this World Series, and dating back to 2021 when he helped lead Atlanta to a title, he has homered in five consecutive World Series games, tying George Springer for the all-time record.
Freeman is hitting .333 this Series with three homers, a triple, seven RBI, and has scored three runs to go along with his .385 on-base percentage, 1.250 slugging percentage and 1.635 OPS. The only Dodger players in franchise history with more RBI in a World Series RBI are Hall of Famers Duke Snider and Gil Hodges, who have eight RBI apiece.
“You can really cement a legacy for a guy like Freddie,’’ Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, “who really doesn’t need anything more to cement his legacy. This has been a pretty special run for him.’’
It began in Game 1 when he hit a two-out, 10th-inning walk-off grand slam in the Dodgers’ 6-3 victory. He homered again in the third inning in Game 2 in the Dodgers 4-2 victory. And there he was again Monday night, hitting a two-run homer off Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt, with the Dodgers never looking back.
Yes, those are stats that could find their way on Freeman’s plaque in Cooperstown, who Hernández believes has the best case for the Hall of Fame as any player on the field in this World Series.
“I mean, what he’s done up to this point, if he stays healthy,’’ Hernández said, “he’s going to have a real good chance of getting to 3,000 hits. Just look at the production that he’s put in.’’
Hernández laughs, remembering Freeman being so hard on himself during the season, and lamenting that he had hit .282 with 22 homers and 89 RBI with an .854 OPS that still was 43% higher than the league average.
“And that was his worst year of his career,’’ Hernández said. “That says a lot about the player, especially since he’s been playing 14 years in the big leagues. Just based off his track record, you see it.’’
Freeman, an eight-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, MVP winner with eight top-10 finishes, has accumulated 2,267 hits and 343 homers with an .899 OPS.
Yet, what he’s doing in this World Series could be forever remembered in Dodger folklore, knowing that doctors told him that his ankle wouldn’t be fully recovered for six weeks, and thriving at a time the Dodgers need him most.
“This guy’s been doing it one foot,’’ said Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux, “and broken bones all over the place. It’s been really fun to watch him do what he’s doing after everything he’s gone through this year.
“He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s just Freddie Freeman. Nothing should surprise us.
“He’s just locked in right now, playing on one foot, which is crazy.’’
If anyone in the Dodgers clubhouse is surprised, it may be, well, Freeman himself. This is a guy who hit just .100 in last year’s postseason when the Dodgers were swept in the National League Division Series by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he was perfectly healthy. He hit .219 with one RBI and no extra-base hits in the first two rounds of the playoffs against the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, and kept out of the lineup in two games in the NLCS.
There was no guarantee he’d be healthy enough to even play in the World Series.
Now, here he is, the most dominant hitter on the field that’s filled with All-Stars, five former MVPs, the American League home run king (Aaron Judge), the first 50/50 player (Shohei Ohtani), and the greatest young hitter in the game (Juan Soto).
Who could have imagined that when the Dodgers lost Game 5 of the NLCS against the Mets, meaning the World Series couldn’t start early on Oct. 22, it would be the most beneficial postseason defeat in history, providing Freeman with five days off.
“Those days off were huge for me,’’ Freeman said. “Days off when you’re injured helped. I got my ankle in a spot where I could work on my swing, and got off to a good spot thankfully going into the Series. I’ve been seeing the ball very well. I’m swinging at the strikes, taking the balls, and not missing any mistakes.’’
It’s crazy to think about it, Freeman says, but even with his throbbing ankle, his swing has never felt better this season.
“There were points throughout the course of the season I felt good,’’ Freeman said, “but I felt like it was a constant battle all season. I’m thankful it’s in a good spot right now.’’
Really, Yankees manager Aaron Boone says, if you didn’t know any better, no one would ever know Freeman was ever injured.
“Obviously, we all know how great of a player Freddie Freeman is,’’ Boone said. “I think clearly having those few days following their championships series probably served him well and helped him, most notably probably in the batter’s box. He’s getting off swings you’re typically used to seeing Freddie get off where maybe that wasn’t happening in the previous rounds.’’
And now, if the Dodgers close out World Series in New York, you may see Freeman dancing across the field in the celebration, knowing he’s got all winter to rest his ankle.
“I really just want to hoist that trophy,’’ Freeman said. “I don’t care if I go oh-for-70 with 70 strikeouts, as long as we win. We know what’s at stake.
“We got a chance to be champions.’’
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