The 2023 season has been a special one for Freddie Freeman as he has already broken numerous records and continues to close in on other milestones that would be very worthy of recognition.
Freeman already reached 200 hits for the first time in his career, and that made him the only first baseman in MLB history with that many to go along with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in one season. He’s also the third player in history to do all that and add 50 doubles as well.
After hitting his 53rd double of the season, he broke a tie with Johnny Frederick, who hit 52 for the 1929 Brooklyn Dodgers, for the most in franchise history.
Freeman is now closing in on becoming the first player to reach 60 doubles since pre-World War II, and he already surpassed 100 RBI on the season.
But despite those milestones so close, Freeman said he is trying not to focus on chasing them, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Trying not to think about it,” Freeman said of the statistical milestones he could reach. “I know we’ve clinched and all you’ve got to talk about now is individual numbers. But if you do that, that’s how you start sliding. You start pressing. You start chasing. You put yourself in bad habits. If I need to move a runner over, I’m going to pull it and try to help this team win. If you play like that, you’ll get rewarded.”
Freeman is currently at 58 doubles with four games remaining, including a finale at hitter-friendly Coors Field. The Dodgers finish their season at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
The last player with at least 60 doubles in a season was Joe Medwick, who set a National League record with 64 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936. Charlie Gehringer also hit 60 during that same season for the Detroit Tigers.
Only six players in MLB history have achieved the feat, with the all-time record held by Earl Webb and his 67 doubles hit in 1931.
In modern times, Todd Helton came the closest to reaching that mark with 59 doubles during the 2000 season, and Nick Castellanos hit 58 in 2019.
As for his RBI total, Freeman has previously reached triple digits three times in his career, which came in 2013, 2019 and 2022.
This season has also seen him set his career-high in runs scored with 127.
Freddie Freeman honored to be among Dodgers franchise record holders
After becoming the new Dodgers franchise record holder for most doubles, Freeman acknowledged the accomplishment and history of the organization, saying it is “pretty cool” to be mentioned among the great players in Dodgers’ history.
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