Freddie Freeman plays superhero again in Game 3 of the World Series

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NEW YORK — Freddie Freeman, who needs nearly five hours of treatment each day for his badly sprained ankle, may not have the luxury of ice when he arrives for Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday night.

The Dodgers will need all that ice to make sure they can keep the hundreds of bottles of champagne and cans of beer cold for the raucous party they’re planning.

The Dodgers are on the brink of capturing the World Series title after beating the New York Yankees once again on Monday, 4-2, in front of a subdued crowd at Yankee Stadium.

The Dodgers are the 25thth team in World Series history to go 3-games-to-0, and 21 of those previous series ended in a sweep. The Yankees trail 3-0 in six postseason series in franchise history and have been swept each time.

So the way the Dodgers figure it, a sweep gives them more time to get ready for their parade, which is tentatively scheduled for Friday in downtown Los Angeles, their first World Series parade since 1988.

The Dodgers won the World Series during the 2020 pandemic, but with COVID-19, there was no parade or even a wild champagne celebration.

“We want that parade,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We never got a chance to celebrate with the city of Los Angeles. That’s quite the incentive.

“But outside of that, you have an opportunity to become world champion. So we’re right there. That’s more than enough incentive and motivation.”

Freeman doesn’t need the motivation. What he’s doing now, night after night, homer after homer on baseball’s biggest stage, is cementing a legacy that may never be forgotten in Dodgers history.

GAME 3 HIGHLIGHTS: The Dodgers are one win away from the World Series championship

“I expect Freddie will never pay for a meal again in LA,” Dodgers outfielder Kiké Hernández said. “It’s not just because of what he’s done the last three games, but because of what he’s done in the last month to put himself in a position where he can just show up and wear cleats.

“I really don’t think you guys have any idea what he’s put himself through to be able to play for this.

“It’s starting to become some superhero (stuff).”

Freeman, limping on one leg since severely spraining his ankle in the final week of the regular season, is putting on one of the biggest World Series power shows since the days of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

He has homered in every game in this World Series, and dating back to 2021, when he helped lead Atlanta to a title, he has homered in five consecutive World Series games, tying George Springer for the all-time record.

Freeman is hitting .333 in this series with three homers, one triple, seven RBI, and has scored three runs to go along with his .385 on-base percentage, 1.250 slugging percentage and 1.635 OPS. The only Dodger players in franchise history with multiple RBI in a World Series RBI are Hall of Famers Duke Snider and Gil Hodges, who each have eight RBI.

“You can really cement a legacy for a guy like Freddie,” said Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, “who really doesn’t need anything else to cement his legacy. This has been a pretty special run for him.”

It began in Game 1 when he hit a two-out, 10-run home runth-inning walk-off grand slam in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win. He homered again in the third inning of Game 2 in the Dodgers’ 4–2 victory. And there he was again Monday night, hitting a two-run homer off Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt, with the Dodgers never looking back.

Yes, those are stats that could find their way onto Freeman’s plaque in Cooperstown, who Hernández believes has the best case for the Hall of Fame of any player on the field in this World Series.

“I mean what he’s done up to this point, if he stays healthy,” Hernández said, “he’s going to have a really good chance to get to 3,000 hits. Just look at the production he’s put in.”

Hernández laughs, recalling that Freeman was so hard on himself during the season, lamenting that he had hit .282 with 22 homers and 89 RBI with an .854 OPS that was still 43% higher than the league average.

“And it was his worst year of his career,” Hernández said. “That says a lot about the player, especially since he’s played 14 years in the big leagues. Just based on his track record, you see that.”

GAME 3: Silence in the Bronx, Yankees lose again

Freeman, an eight-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, MVP winner with eight top-10 finishes, has accumulated 2,267 hits and 343 homers with an .899 OPS.

Still, what he’s doing in this World Series could be remembered forever in Dodger folklore, knowing that doctors told him his ankle wouldn’t be fully recovered for six weeks, and thriving at a time when the Dodgers need it most for him.

“This guy’s been doing it on one foot,” Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux said, “and breaking bones all over the place. It’s been really fun to see him do what he’s doing after everything he’s been through this year.

“He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s just Freddie Freeman. Nothing should surprise us.

“He’s just locked in right now and playing on one foot, which is crazy.”

If anyone in the Dodgers clubhouse is surprised, it might be Freeman himself. This is a guy who hit just .100 in last year’s postseason when the Dodgers were swept in the National League Division Series by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and he was perfectly healthy. He hit .219 with one RBI and no extra-base hits in the first two rounds of the playoffs against the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, and stayed out of the lineup for two games in the NLCS.

There was no guarantee he would be healthy enough to even play in the World Series.

Now, here he is, the most dominant hitter on a field filled with All-Stars, five former MVPs, the American League’s home run king (Aaron Judge), the first 50/50 player (Shohei Ohtani) and the best young hitter in the game (Juan Soto).

Who would have imagined that when the Dodgers lost Game 5 of the NLCS against the Mets, meaning the World Series couldn’t start early on Oct. 22, it would be the most advantageous postseason loss in history, giving Freeman five days off.

“Those days off were huge for me,” Freeman said. “Days off when you’re injured helped. I got my ankle in a place where I could work on my swing and fortunately got to a good place going into the series. I’ve been seeing the ball very well. I’m swinging to the shots, takes the balls and makes no mistakes.”

It’s crazy to think about it, Freeman says, but even with his throbbing ankle, his swing has never felt better this season.

“There were points during the season I felt good,” Freeman said, “but I felt like it was a constant battle all season. I’m thankful it’s in a good place right now.”

Really, says Yankees manager Aaron Boone, if you didn’t know better, no one would ever know Freeman was ever injured.

“Obviously, we all know what a great player Freddie Freeman is,” Boone said. “I definitely think having those few days after their championship series probably served him well and helped him, especially enough in the batter’s box. He comes off swings, you’re typically used to seeing Freddie get off where maybe it didn’t happen in the previous rounds.”

And now, if the Dodgers close out the World Series in New York, you can watch Freeman dance across the field in celebration, knowing he has all winter to rest his ankle.

“I really just want to hoist that trophy,” Freeman said. “I don’t care if I go oh-for-70 with 70 strikeouts as long as we win. We know what’s at stake.

“We have a chance to be champions.”

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