Freddie Freeman: a complete player and a “great guy” who is now the MVP of the Series

Freddie Freeman: a complete player and a “great guy” who is now the MVP of the Series
Freddie Freeman: a complete player and a “great guy” who is now the MVP of the World Series

Julia Hernandez

(CNN) – Freddie Freeman practically achieved it all in the Major Leagues. He has been voted to the All-Star Game eight times. He was a member of the All-MLB team five times. Chosen Most Valuable Player of the National League. Holder of several regular season awards.

Now, at 35 years old, he can proclaim himself the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Series.

Freeman and the Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series title on Wednesday, when they defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 and won the series four games to one.

The Los Angeles Dodgers win their eighth World Series title after beating the New York Yankees in a thrilling Game 5

It is the eighth championship in the history of the Dodgers franchise and the second in Freeman’s career, if we add the title he won with the Atlanta Braves three years ago.

The 15-year MLB veteran entered the Fall Classic with a sprained ankle, but reassured Dodger fans almost immediately with a historic performance in Game 1 and continued to be the team’s standout player throughout the series.

For Freeman, winning is the only thing that matters.

“This is everything,” Freeman said after being named MVP. “I wouldn’t be here without the support of everyone wearing this jersey tonight. It was hard work these last three months… it was a lot. This is what it is.”

This has been the eight World Series titles of the Los Angeles Dodgers

Freeman was alluding to the health problems of her three-year-old son Max, who was diagnosed earlier this year with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which the immune system attacks nerve cells.

In July, Max was completely paralyzed and Freeman left the Dodgers to be with his family in the hospital. Eventually, doctors said his son would recover, and Freeman rejoined the team in August.

“These were the hardest and scariest days of our lives,” Freeman’s wife, Chelsea, wrote on Instagram. “Maximus is a very special boy and he was fighting VERY hard. “This is going to be a journey of recovery, but we have faith that he will be completely healed.”

Achieve all that can be achieved

Freeman was born in Fountain Valley, California, in 1989, the son of Canadian-born parents. He grew up playing baseball and showed signs of his powerful bat from a young age. He hit the ball so hard when playing tee-ball at age 6 that his swing was deemed too powerful, so he practiced with kids twice his age.

He played college baseball at California State University, Fullerton, and was drafted 78th overall in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves. He was called up from the minor leagues in 2010, beginning what would be a stellar 12-year career with Atlanta.

Freeman became the Braves’ starting first baseman in 2011 and established himself as one of the best players in the league at the position. With Atlanta, he was an All-Star in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2021. He excelled on both offense and defense, winning the Gold Glove in 2018 before earning the Silver Slugger in each. the next three seasons.

Freeman with the Atlanta Braves in 2021. (Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

He was named National League Most Valuable Player in the Covid-19-shortened season in 2020, before virtually completing his resume with a World Series title with the Braves in 2021. Freeman, who declared a free agent after that title, he wanted to stay in Atlanta.

However, negotiations between the Braves and his agent failed to reach an agreement, and Atlanta decided to move forward and acquired first baseman Matt Olson. Freeman, who said being part of the Braves organization “was truly an honor,” said goodbye and signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers before the 2022 season.

His love for his former organization was evident when the Dodgers visited Atlanta in June 2022, Freeman’s first return to Truist Park since he traded in his Braves uniform for Dodger blue.

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Freeman broke down in tears at his first news conference back. Braves fans greeted him with a long, emotional ovation as he received his 2021 championship ring, and Freeman cried again. He received another thunderous ovation before his first at-bat.

With the Dodgers, Freeman returned to form immediately and has been an All-Star in each of his three seasons in Los Angeles. Most importantly for the Dodgers, he maintained his reputation as one of the most clutch players in baseball.

Freeman hit a home run for the Braves in Game 5 and Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. (Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Freeman did not hit a home run in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres or in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. He came into the World Series with an injured ankle that raised questions about his participation, and even more so his effectiveness, in Game 1, trying to run as little as possible as the Dodgers prepared for the series.

However, Freeman gritted his teeth and endured the pain, hitting a triple and then hitting an improbable grand slam to win the first game for Los Angeles, becoming the first person to hit a walk-off grand slam in a World Series. He continued to show up when the team needed him most, hitting home runs in Games 2, 3 and 4 to break a record, dating back to his time with the Braves, of hitting home runs in six consecutive World Series games.

A superstar player with a personality to match

Freeman is popular among fans for his elite hitting ability and friendly personality, and is equally respected among his teammates.

“I don’t know what I would do without him, honestly,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said in 2021. “He’s my rock. I go to him with things. I’ve been with him since the first day he came here to the Major Leagues. “It’s everything the Braves stand for.”

This year, MLB players voted Freeman the friendliest infielder to chat with on the bases, with one National League reliever simply describing him as a “nice guy.”

Freeman celebrates his grand slam against the Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series. (Credit: Ashley Landis/AP)

“He’s half Canadian, right?” added an American League infielder, pointing to Freeman’s heritage.

Although born in the United States, the 35-year-old opted to represent Canada internationally and competed in two World Baseball Classics for the national team. He explained in 2023 that this was a choice he made for his mother.

“My mom passed away when I was 10 from melanoma skin cancer, and that’s why I play for Team Canada,” he said. “I don’t know if this is what she would want me to do, but in my heart, it’s what I feel like I should do.”

“I know a lot of people don’t understand. I was born in California, I know. Yes I know. But in my heart, to honor my mother and play for Team Canada, for me it is the right decision.”

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