Freddie Freeman had already done plenty to infuriate fans of the New York Yankees, the Dodgers first baseman crushing a dramatic walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of the World Series opener and a solo homer in a Game 2 victory.
So it was hardly a surprise when Freeman stepped into the batter’s box in the first inning of Game 3 in Yankee Stadium Monday night that he was greeted with a very audible and vulgar chant from the Bleacher Creatures, the right-field fans known for their fierce loyalty to the Yankees and hostility toward opposing teams.
“F— you Freddie!” Clap-clap, clap-clap-clap. “F— you Freddie!”
Freeman responded to the Bronx cheer by rewarding one of those fans with a souvenir, lining a two-run home run to right field off New York right-hander Clarke Schmidt to propel the Dodgers toward a 4-2 Game 3 victory and a commanding three-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series.
“Getting runs in the first inning is always huge, and it doesn’t matter how you do it,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said, “but for Freddie to do that with a home run really electrified us and helped take the crowd out of the game right away.”
Freeman became the third player in major league history to hit a home run in each of the first three games of a World Series, joining Barry Bonds (2002) and Hank Bauer (1958).
With the homers he hit for the Atlanta Braves in Games 5 and 6 of the 2021 World Series against Houston, Freeman has now homered in five straight World Series games, tying a record George Springer set with the Astros in 2017 and 2019.
“Five games in a row with a homer? This guy’s doing it on one foot and other broken bones all over the place,” second baseman Gavin Lux said of Freeman. “It’s been really fun to watch him doing what he’s doing after everything he’s gone through this year. He’s the ultimate competitor. It’s Freddie Freeman, nothing should surprise us.”
A little more than a week ago, Freeman’s right ankle, which he sprained in the final week of the regular season, hurt so badly that he couldn’t play in the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series-clinching 10-5 win over the New York Mets on Oct. 20.
Freeman limped his way through the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres and the NLCS against the Mets, needing five to six hours of daily physical therapy treatments and plenty of pain-killers just to take the field.
He provided little in the way of offense — Freeman had no extra-base hits and just one RBI in the first two rounds — but much in the way of inspiration.
And now? If the Dodgers can close out the Yankees and win the eighth World Series title in franchise history, Freeman would be a clear-cut choice for series most valuable player, with three homers, a triple and seven RBIs in the first three games.
“If we can find a way to win one more game, I expect Freddie to never pay for a meal ever again in L.A.” utility man Kiké Hernández said. “Not just because of what he’s done the last three days, but because of what he’s done for the last month to put himself in a position where he can just show up and wear cleats and not just be on the reserve list.
“We’ve talked about it a lot, but I really don’t think you guys have any idea what he’s put himself through to be able to play for us.”
Six days off before the World Series proved a much needed elixir for Freeman’s ankle, which is nowhere near fully healed but far more playable than it was in the first two rounds.
“Those days off were huge for me,” Freeman said. “I got my ankle to a spot where every single game, afterwards, it’s not as bad as it was in NLCS and NLDS. I got my ankle to a spot where I could work on my swing, and I got [my swing] into a good spot, thankfully, going into the [World Series].”
Freeman shot an opposite-field triple down the left-field line in his first World Series at-bat in Game 1, an early indication he was running a lot better. He went from first to third on Teoscar Hernández’s seventh-inning single to center field Monday night.
Most important, Freeman, an eight-time All-Star who won the 2020 NL MVP award with the Braves, is looking like his old self in the batter’s box.
“He’s hit home runs in three straight games, he’s getting hits the other way, he’s having great at-bats, not chasing,” Lux said. “He’s just locked in right now.”
So locked in that when asked about those first-inning chants Monday night, Freeman said, “What chants?”
Uh … the ones with your name.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Freeman said.
When told exactly what fans were chanting, Freeman said, “Oh, I didn’t hear any of that. I mean, it’s just loud. You’re not gonna hear anything. I don’t think they said it after [the home run], though.”