It might be the World Series matchup everyone wanted to see. But three days before the Dodgers and New York Yankees were to open their best-of-seven set, Freddie Freeman had no intentions of watching from the side.
Despite missing two of the Dodgers’ final three games in the National League Championship Series, and going just one for 15 in the last three games he has played on a badly sprained right ankle, the first baseman said Tuesday he expects to be “a 100% go” for Game 1 on Friday.
“I don’t think there’s any question in anybody’s mind,” Freeman said, “that I’ll be in the lineup for Game 1.”
While this postseason has been a grind for Freeman, who suffered the sprain Sept. 26, severe enough to warrant a four-to-six-week absence in the regular season, the 35-year-old said the week of rest he’s getting has been “valuable.” Not only is he receiving extra treatment, but he also has been able to avoid any running, something that aggravates his injury most.
“I can still hit, I can do all that kind of stuff,” Freeman said. “And I’m now at three straight days of not running and just only treating it. So every day is going to be better.”
While Freeman had four hits in four games in the division series, then opened the NLCS by reaching base three times with an RBI in Game 1, the rest of the championship series became a slog. Despite serving as a source of inspiration, Freeman said the sprain began to take a toll on his performance.
In Game 2, Freeman went hitless in five at-bats. He also determined that the supportive spatting tape he had been wearing around his ankle no longer was doing much good, ditching the method after noticing it put extra pressure on the injury.
In Game 3, Freeman had a fifth-inning single but was removed in the eighth while laboring at the plate. And even after a day off in Game 4, Freeman went 0 for 5 in his return the following night, calling it “one of the first times I felt my ankle had compromised my swing.”
“A week or so ago, I could get through four or five innings before I was having trouble walking,” Freeman added. “And obviously in Game 5, it started happening pretty much right after my first at-bat.”
Thus, when Freeman and manager Dave Roberts discussed his status for Game 6, both agreed it would be better to keep the eight-time All-Star out of the lineup.
“Believe me, when I walk through those front doors of our clubhouse, everything gets checked at the door, and all I want to do is win,” Freeman said. “And I’m obviously compromised with my ankle, so if I’m not in the lineup that day, that means the best options are with our guys. And I have the most confidence [in them].”
With a laugh, Freeman then noted that the team is not only 3-0 in the games he has missed this postseason, but has totaled 28 runs in the process.
“Obviously, guys are swinging the bats great,” Freeman said. “So yeah, it was tough. But I think it was just better off for the situation with my ankle … than trying to gut through another game.”
Freeman will enter Game 1 coming off six days of rest — a break that has eased his discomfort, given him valuable time to work on his swing, and set him up to watch from the side no longer.
Pitching plans
The Dodgers will start Jack Flaherty in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, Roberts announced. Walker Buehler likely will start either Game 3 or 4, with the other expected to be a bullpen game.
In the bullpen, Roberts also said injured relievers Alex Vesia and Brusdar Graterol are “trending in the right direction” but will be last-minute decisions for the roster.