New York Yankees Endure The Full Freddie Freeman Experience In ...

2 days ago

Forbes

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman watches his two-run home run against the New York Yankees ... [+] during the first inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

About five minutes into Game 3 of Yankee Stadium’s first World Series game since Hideki Matsui drove in six runs to beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Nov. 4, 2009, the crowd brimming with hope the Yankees would be able to break through after two close calls in Los Angeles whipped out a vulgar chant for Freddie Freeman.

It was not encompassing all of the stadium but it was heard decently enough as a crowd followed the Reggie Jackson line of “they don’t boo nobodies”, though it is doubtful “Mr. October” meant booing that included vulgarities.

A few pitches later, Freeman homered again, deflating an already anxious crowd that FOX commentator David Ortiz noticed was lacking some energy. When Freeman’s latest homer landed in the right field seats, it gave him the distinction of matching Barry Bonds (2002) and Hank Bauer (1958) as the third player with homers in the first three games of a Fall Classic, though those players did in a World Series that went the distance as Bonds and the Giants lost to the Angels and Bauer and the Yankees pulled off the same comeback as the 2016 Cubs by overcoming a three games to one deficit.

“For a guy like Freddie, who doesn’t really need anything more to cement his legacy,” Max Muncy said, “This has been a pretty special run.”

When it comes to encounters with New York’s baseball teams, Freeman is a special somebody as a player neither team often gets out consistently lately. The Mets avoided it in the NLCS because Freeman was hobbled with an ankle he sprained on Sept. 26 but a majority of the 207 times they’ve faced him, it has not gone well.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates a two-run home run against the New York Yankees ... [+] during the first inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

While Freeman’s .303 average is six points lower than Chipper Jones against the Mets, he is a .163 hitter in 24 regular-season games against the Yankees.

Barring the Yankees extending the World Series to seven, Freeman will not come close to the 14 hits in his regular-season encounters with New York’s American League team. The reason the Yankees will need to be the first team to reach seven games after losing the opening three games is Freeman, who is eagerly looking forward to possibly experiencing the fifth postseason champagne soaked celebration at the current Yankee Stadium.

He has four hits in the World Series, three are of them are homers, putting him as a likely MVP, barring some kind of stunning comeback by the Yankees. The other is a triple which is equally impressive due to the ankle injury that caused him to go 7-for-32 in the first two rounds.

“I guess I’m seeing the ball very well,” Freeman said in an understatement for Mets fans and a remark that is becoming the same thing for Yankee fans.

And perhaps more impressively is Freeman is on one leg due to the ankle. He is feeling better now since the Dodgers gave him six days off by sitting him for the NLCS clincher against the Mets but still not 100 percent.

“We went to Freddie several times and said, 'Hey we got you the last two series,'" Max Muncy said. “This is Freddie telling us, 'Hey, I got you this time.'"

Freeman is not quite as hobbled as Kirk Gibson in 1988 but still not entirely healed. He had his Gibson moment with the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history by connecting off Nestor Cortes into nearly the same location as Gibson in the series opener following an ill-fated intentional walk to Mookie Betts and his homer kickstarted a series of frustrating events for the Yankees.

New York Yankees' Juan Soto takes off his batting gloves after grounding out against the New York ... [+] Yankees to end the third inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

A night later, he hit one of the three Los Angeles homers off Carlos Rodon, who was apparently pitching with a blister. And four pitches into his ninth World Series game, he did it again, giving the Yankees and fans their worst-case scenario.

Yet even being a little hobbled, Freeman has been able to jump on three inside fastballs and drive them a combined 1,165 feet. And in doing so Freeman is looking as confident as all those moments he has morphed into the Chipper Freeman or Freddie Jones cyborg in those encounters with the Mets, whom he first homered against on April 16, 2011.

“Obviously we all know how great of a player Freddie Freeman is. I think clearly having those few days following their Championship Series probably served him well and helped him, most notably probably in the batter's box,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He's getting off swings you're typically used to seeing Freddie get off where maybe that wasn't happening in the previous rounds with the injury.”

And while the Yankees are seeing the swings Freeman normally takes, the ones they often see from Aaron Judge are lacking, making it highly likely the Dodgers celebrate their eighth title in the near future and toast Freeman for being the MVP.