The Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18-inning marathon that was Game 3 of the 2025 World Series thanks to Freddie Freeman’s walk-off home run.
The 36-year-old led off the bottom of the 18th by sending a sinker from Brendon Little over the center-field wall to give the Dodgers a 6-5 win and 2-1 lead in the Fall Classic.
The blast came almost a year to the day of Freeman’s walk-off grand slam against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series.
With his game-winning hit against the Blue Jays, Freeman became the first player in MLB history to hit multiple walk-off home runs in the World Series.
“Yeah, I mean, no, I don’t think you ever come up with a scenario twice,” Freeman answered when asked if he ever envisioned hitting a second walk-off home run in the Fall Classic. “But you just kept getting the opportunities over and over again.
“The one I flew out to center field, I was just really trying to hit a single there and get a base hit and move on and get this game over with three hours ago. But when you’re in those situations over and over again, that’s what you’re talking about as kids.
“And last year it was always bases loaded and two outs, bottom of the ninth. I know it happened in the 10th. But to have it happen again a year later, to hit another walk-off, it’s kind of amazing, crazy.
“I’m just glad we won and we’re up 2-1, and we got our Shohei on the mound tomorrow.”
Freeman finished 2-for-7 with the home run, two RBI and two walks on Monday night. He’s hitting just .231 in three World Series games thus far despite consistently making hard contact, but believes the hits will eventually start falling.
“I mean, the one in Toronto I thought I hit way better than the one to center field where it still was like 20 feet short,” Freeman explained. “I’m not getting frustrated.
“It’s because the ball’s on the barrel, so I know if I keep staying with that. If I try and switch it up, then I’m going to most likely not be on the barrel. So if you just keep putting good swings on it, sooner rather than later it’s going to be what you want.
“But, yeah, as the game went on, the ball was going a little bit more true for me to center field and left center. The one that Myles ran down in left-center off Lauer, even though I got out, I was like, ‘OK, there it is.’
“I finally felt that I would stay behind the ball and drive it, and it just made my confidence soar and thankfully Will Klein, MVP of this game, was able to throw more zeros up, and I was able to get up again.”
Freddie Freeman gained energy during World Series
Game 3 of the 2025 World Series was the second-longest in MLB history by time at six hours and 39 minutes, but Freeman actually felt rejuvenated with each inning and at-bat.
“I mean, to be honest, I wasn’t actually that tired,” Freeman said. “When you have your bullpen doing what they were doing, it just keeps firing you up over and over and over again.
“If you’re tired in a World Series game, I don’t think anybody’s tired after that. But it’s just when you’re going through all that, zero after zero, I was just trying to get on base against a tough lefty, sinker baller with a hard curveball just trying to get on, but got to a 3-2 count and was able to put a good swing on it.
“My swings were getting better as the game was going on. I thought I had a couple hits in, I don’t know, 21 innings ago. It just felt like my swing was getting better and better and, thankfully, I was able to get one over.
“But I don’t think we’re physically tired. I think you’re just mentally tired because you’re in it every pitch, and every pitch means something in the World Series and in the playoffs. So I think we’re all emotionally and mentally drained.”
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