After the Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up their eighth World Series title Wednesday night, there was little doubt as to who would be the Most Valuable Player. First baseman Freddie Freeman took home MVP honors after one of the most impressive World Series performances in recent memory. Homering in the first four games of the series and driving in 12 runs (tying the record for a single Fall Classic), the 35-year-old made sure the Dodgers would take home the Commissioner’s Trophy.
4 HR.
12 RBI.
1 FREDDIE.FREDDIE FREEMAN IS YOUR #WORLDSERIES MVP! pic.twitter.com/BXKIlmbVW7
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 31, 2024
Freddie Freeman Runs Away with World Series MVP Honors
Despite Freeman’s terrific career and championship pedigree, this performance in particular seemed to come out of nowhere. He had been fighting through a late-season ankle injury which affected his hitting and his speed through the National League stage of the postseason. Against the New York Yankees, though, he came in clutch time after time. Down to their last out in the 10th inning of Game 1, Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam eerily similar to Kirk Gibson‘s iconic blast in the opener of the 1988 World Series. The next night, he hit a solo shot right after Teoscar Hernández‘s two-run tater to pad the Dodgers’ lead.
Walk-off HR with team down to final out in a World Series game:
2024: Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (Game 1)
1988: Kirk Gibson, Dodgers (Game 1)That’s it. That’s the list.
— Paul Casella (@Paul_CasellaMLB) October 26, 2024
Freeman’s Relentless Bat
Freeman’s savagery carried over to the Bronx. He hit a two-run home run in the first inning of Game 3, a 4-2 Dodgers win, and did the exact same thing in Game 4 to put the Yankees on the ropes. Going back to the 2021 World Series with the Atlanta Braves, it was Freeman’s sixth straight Fall Classic game with a homer, an all-time record. However, an offensive explosion by New York kept them alive for another night. When it was looking like the series would head back to LA, the Dodgers put together an improbable fifth-inning rally in Game 5 to erase a five-run deficit, and Freeman was at the center of it.
After getting on the board as a result of a botched play at first base, Freeman came up with the bases loaded to deliver a two-run single. This cut the lead to 5-3, and Hernández’s two-run double right afterward tied the game. Although the Yankees regained a one-run lead, two eighth-inning sac flies gave the Dodgers the edge, which they retained for the one-run win. For the series, Freeman hit .300 with a 1.364 OPS. It was plenty to take home the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award.
Photo Credit: © Brad Penner-Imagn Images
