Freddie Freeman named World Series MVP after historic effort in Dodgers’ win over Yankees

Much was made of Freddie Freeman’s ailing right ankle that limited him in the NLDS and NLCS.

But in the World Series, it didn’t much matter. Freeman spent most of his time on offense trotting around the bases.

The Los Angeles slugger was named World Series MVP on Wednesday after the Dodgers secured a 4-1 series victory over the New York Yankees for the franchise’s eighth World Series championship.

When it was over, the MVP call was an easy one. Freeman earned the hardware thanks to a historic home run tear that set multiple World Series records. It was a performance for the baseball ages that should punctuate a likely Hall of Fame career for the eight-time All-Star slugger.

Freeman set the tone for the series with his electric Game 1 grand slam that secured a come-from-behind victory in extra innings and sent Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. The no-doubt blast was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history, and it sealed a 6-3 Dodgers win.

In Game 2, Freeman delivered another home run. This time, it was a solo shot that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 4-1 before Los Angeles went on to a 4-2 victory.

In Game 3, the series shifted from Los Angeles to New York. A Bronx crowd hungry for a win and hyped by a first pitch from Yankees icon Derek Jeter was ready to give the Dodgers hell.

Then, 15 pitches into the game, Freeman did this:

Freeman’s two-run blast scored Shohei Ohtani and sucked the air out of Yankee Stadium. It marked a fifth straight World Series game in which Freeman hit a home run, a stretch dating to his World Series championship with the Atlanta Braves in 2021. That tied Freeman with George Springer (Astros, 2017-19) for the longest such streak in World Series history. The home run provided the first burst of offense en route to the Dodgers’ 4-2 Game 3 win.

Then in Game 4, Freeman did it again. He silenced the Yankee Stadium crowd once more with a first-inning home run to give the Dodgers another early 2-0 lead.

That time, the lead didn’t last. The Yankees rallied for an 11-4 win to stave off a sweep and force Game 5. But Freeman’s home run did make history. With his sixth straight World Series game with a home run, Freeman moved past Springer for sole possession of the longest such streak in World Series history, and he became the first player to hit a home run in the first four games of a single World Series.

Although he didn’t hit a home run on Wednesday, Freeman hit a two-out, two-RBI single in the fifth inning that helped rally the Dodgers out of a 5-0 hole on their way to the 7-6 win. It marked the largest comeback in a World Series-clinching game in history.

In total, Freeman had six hits, a series-record 12 RBI and four home runs in the World Series. The 35-year-old, who just wrapped up his third season with the franchise, had a .282 batting average, 89 RBI and 22 home runs in the regular season while picking up his fourth consecutive All-Star nod.