The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their game to the San Francisco Giants on Friday, but Freddie Freeman still managed to make history by recording his 200th hit of the season.
For Freeman, the 200th hit set his career high for a single season, surpassing the 199 he had in 2022. Freeman also became the first Dodgers player with 200 hits in a season since Adrián Beltré reached that mark in 2004. The last Dodgers first baseman with 200 hits had been Steve Garvey in 1980.
“I haven’t really given it that much thought yet,” Freeman said. “Especially mid-game, we’re trying to win the game, and now we lost. But I’ve always had sights set on it. Two-hundred just means you’re in there a lot, you’re healthy, playing every day and having a pretty good year. It’s definitely pretty cool.”
In addition, Freeman became the only first baseman in MLB history with 200 hits, 20 homers and 20 steals in one season. He is also the third player all-time with at least 200 hits, 50 doubles, 25 home runs and 20 stolen bases, joining Alfonso Soriano in 2002 and Chuck Klein in 1932.
“I think the season as a whole is unprecedented,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think if you look at the hits, the average, the home runs, the doubles, the stolen bases. It was just good he got it here.
“It seems like every night we’re always tipping our cap to Freddie on some accomplishment, and that’s fantastic. It was good to see him get it out of the way. Now we’ve just got to get Mookie to 40 (home runs), and we get all those round numbers checked.”
In most seasons, Freeman would likely be the front-runner to win the National League MVP, but Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves and Mookie Betts are the two battling it out for the award.
Freddie Freeman appreciating fantastic season
Although Freeman rarely takes pride publicly in his personal accomplishments, he has been able to appreciate his record-breaking season.
“If I said anything else it would be kind of a lie,” Freeman said. “I do understand it’s been a pretty good year from start to finish. We’ve still got nine games left, so hopefully we can add onto it. As of right now, nine games to go, but it’s hard not to say it’s been a pretty good year.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
