The Los Angeles Dodgers concluded their homestand with a 4-3 walk-off win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday thanks to Freddie Freeman’s clutch two-run base hit in the ninth inning.
The rally started when Mookie Betts reached on a two-out infield single. Shohei Ohtani was then intentionally walked before Esteury Ruiz drew a free pass to load the bases.
After falling behind in the count, Freeman went the other way for an opposite-field single off Griffin Jax. It was a satisfying result for the nine-time All-Star as he continues to work on getting his swing right.
“I wouldn’t say I fixed it,” Freeman said after the game. “There’s a lot of slices and pushes to left field. It’s a work in progress, but that last one looked a lot better.
“I haven’t hit a line drive to left field in a long time, so hopefully we can build on that going into Friday.”
Freeman explained his approach during the at-bat and noted how it needed to change after taking fastballs.
“What I was thinking about what I was looking for. He didn’t throw what I was looking for the first couple pitches, and I took the heaters pretty much down the middle,” Freeman explained.
“After those and I took the slider, I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to change my plan here.’ So I changed it to the heater. Credit to all the guys getting on base and Tyler was amazing today.”
Freeman now has 16 walk-off hits in his career, the most of any active player in the Majors. He finished the game 2-for-5 with a run scored and also stole his 100th career base in the seventh inning.
Freddie Freeman downplays individual success
When asked how big of a hit that was for him, Freeman deflected and put the focus on the Dodgers winning their rubber match with the Twins.
“It’s more of that was a huge win for us,” Freeman began. “A series win. Good game on both sides, a well-played baseball game, good pitching.
“They’ve got a really good staff over there and bullpen. Back and forth in the later innings, and glad we were able to pull that one out. We needed that one.”
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!
