The Los Angeles Dodgers used the month of August to create a sizable gap between themselves and the rest of the National League West. Their incredible stretch wouldn’t have been possible without their pair MVP candidates, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
As Betts hit .455/.516/.839 with a 265 wRC+ over 28 games during August, Freeman did his best to match that production. The All-Star first baseman hit .374/.434/.617 with a 183 wRC+ while starting in all 29 games in the month.
Freeman has emphasized how he’s trying to follow Betts as he maintains his unbelievable run, and in doing so, they became the first duo to each have at least 40 hits, 10 doubles and three stolen bases during one month since Charlie Gehringer and Gee Walker did so for the Detroit Tigers in August of the 1937 season.
The @Dodgers' Freddie Freeman & Mookie Betts each have 40+ hits, 10+ doubles & 3+ stolen bases this month.
The last pair of teammates to do this in a single month were the Tigers' Charlie Gehringer & Gee Walker in August of 1937. pic.twitter.com/TCqx5m1TEY
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 30, 2023
Both Betts (7.8) and Freeman (6.9) enter the month of September with the two highest fWAR totals across Major League Baseball. Their production carried the team, setting an example for the rest of the offense.
The Dodgers’ 24 wins in August ranks among the best stretches in franchise history. And for the fourth consecutive August, they posted a winning percentage of at least .750. Had the Dodgers not lost to the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night, they would have tied the all-time Dodgers record of 25 wins in a calendar month.
Freddie Freeman pursuing Dodgers doubles record
Freeman broke the L.A. Dodgers record for doubles in a single season when he hit his 50th this past Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. He achieved that feat with a pair of two-baggers in a 7-4 victory which clinched the series at Fenway Park and a winning road trip.
The previous Los Angeles record for doubles belonged to Shawn Green, who totaled 49 during the 2003 season. Next on Freeman’s list is breaking the all-time Dodgers doubles record of 52.
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