Freddie Freeman put up historic numbers against the New York Yankees and helped the Los Angeles capture their eighth World Series championship in franchise history.
Freeman, who played through a sprained right ankle, set the tone with a walk-off grand slam in Game 1. He would go on to set a new MLB record by hitting a home run in six consecutive World Series games.
Freeman also set another World Series record for most RBI (10) through the first four games. He finished with 12 RBI, which tied Bobby Richardson’s record for most in a single World Series. Richardson set the MLB record during 1960 Fall Classic.
“I’ve been asked this question a couple of times. You don’t really think about it when you’re up there. Things seem to be slowing down. That’s kind of what you’re just trying to do,” Freeman answered when asked to describe the feeling of hitting so well in the World Series.
“And I think obviously experience definitely helps in this situation. I did a lot of work in between the NLCS and the World Series. Thankfully, my ankle got into a good spot where I could work on my swing, and I found a cue that really worked for me.
“I was able to slow things down. All you’re trying to do is swing at strikes, take balls, and hit the mistakes. Thankfully, I was able to do that for five games.”
Freeman batted .300/.364/1.000 with one triple and four home runs against the Yankees en route to World Series MVP honors.
He joined Johnny Podres (1955), Larry Sherry (1959), Sandy Koufax (1963 and 1965), Ron Cey and Pedro Guerrero (1981), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Corey Seager (2020) as Dodgers World Series MVP winners.
Freddie Freeman rediscovered swing
Prior to the World Series, Freeman was struggling to lift the ball in the air and hit for power. He worked with Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc to find a solution, which wound up entailing a mentality shift.
“I just feel like my ankle is in a good spot since about three days ago and been able to work really hard throughout the course of the week,” Freeman recently explained.
“I was working with Robert (Van Scoyoc) a lot. We found a little cue about three days ago, and I started hitting on the field three days ago, and it was a line-drive out to shortstop every single time. It has been a while since I’ve done that.
“I was feeling pretty well the last few days on the cue that I had. It’s not about lifting or doing any of that. If my swing’s in the right spot and you’re hitting line drives and your swing is in a good spot, that’s where you create backspin.
“I can’t create the spin. If I do, I’m going to topspin and hook everything. When your swing is good and direct to the ball, that’s how you create the backspin, and I was able to do it.”
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