Freeman basks in baseball glory

NEW YORK (AFP) — Freddie Freeman, the 2024 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) after a historic performance in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ five-game triumph over the New York Yankees, said he was still trying to assimilate his accomplishments.

But as the Dodgers basked in the glow of their series-clinching 7-6 victory on Wednesday he had no trouble appreciating the contributions of his teammates.

“It seems like we hit every speed bump possible over the course of this year,” Freeman said of a Dodgers team that battled multiple injuries.

“To overcome what we did as a group of guys, it’s special.”

On a team of stars that includes Japan’s Shohei Ohtani and former MVP slugger Mookie Betts, it was Freeman who hit the first walk-off Grand Slam home run in World Series history to deliver victory in Game 1.

He homered in Games 2, 3 and 4 as well — running his streak of World Series games with a home run to a record six — starting with the last two games of his appearance in the 2021 Fall Classic with the Atlanta Braves.

That streak ended in Game 5, but Freeman delivered a two-run single in the fifth inning as the Dodgers erased a five-run lead on the way to a stunning series-clinching win.

His 12 runs-batted-in over the five games tied a World Series record set in 1960.

“I haven’t really thought about all that,” Freeman said.

“But sitting here now, I’ve just been blessed to be able to play this game a long time and be in certain situations because of the group of guys, the organization.”

“But, yeah, to come through in those situations, that’s what you dream about as a kid, doing that in the World Series.”

“It’s hard to talk about right now, but maybe in a few days when I’ve let it settle in, I’ll have better answers for you. Right now, I’m just ecstatic.”

The fact that Freeman has made it to the postseason was a minor miracle in itself after a challenging year beset by injuries, all overshadowed by a serious illness for his three-year-old son, Max.