It wasn’t the most stunning October moment from a skinny Dodgers player in Chavez Ravine. That honor will always go to Kirk Gibson, who limped around the bases on two sore knees after his walk-off home run off Oakland Athletic closer Dennis Eckersley landed in the right field pavilion in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
But it was up there.
After leading off the third inning of Saturday night’s 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series with a single, Freddie Freeman, playing on a right ankle that had been so badly sprained, told him that “this is a four is’. -up to six weeks [injured list] stint” — left for second base.
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And he stole it, sending a jolt of energy and an extra dose of determination through a Dodgers dugout that was beginning to find its footing after erasing a 3-0 first-inning deficit on Shohei Ohtani’s tying three-run home run in the first inning. second inning.
“We had a saying in 2020 when we won [the World Series]There were guys walking around saying, ‘Hey, I’m willing to die today,'” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “Obviously it’s metaphorical, but that’s the mentality we’re using again this year, like nothing can stop us out there, and Freddie proved that tonight.
“He gets the hits, makes the plays, steals a bag and sends a message to our dugout: Hey, it doesn’t matter what your name is, who you are, you better be willing to do whatever it takes to win this game. … It’s hard to put into words exactly what it meant to see Freddie do that. It’s just really cool. It almost gives you chills.”
Freeman’s stolen base put him at second with no outs, and while he didn’t score in the inning, it gave the team hope that the 35-year-old first baseman and No. 3 hitter would be a factor in this series despite his injury, suffered while trying to avoid a tag while grounding out in the divisional win over San Diego on September 26.
Freeman lined a 105-mph line to right in his first at-bat of the first inning. After his third-inning single to right, he hit a fielder’s choice during a three-run fourth inning, grounded to first base in the sixth and struck out in the eighth.
“When you see a guy like Freddie go through what he’s going through and make himself available to play, it says a lot,” said shortstop Miguel Rojas, who is playing with a left adductor strain. “It forced me to forget everything that’s going on with me because I’m not even close to what he’s going through.
“No one in this clubhouse is 100%. We all understand that. But the fire and the fight of this team are incredible.”
When Rojas saw Freeman limping through the clubhouse early Saturday afternoon, he thought there was “no chance” Freeman would play.
“I thought he had a five percent chance of what he looked like when he got here,” Rojas said. “I don’t think anyone expected him to play. It was a borderline miracle.”
Freeman practiced Friday, but woke up Saturday so sore that he told his 8-year-old son Charlie, “I don’t know if Dad can play today.” Freeman arrived at Dodger Stadium at 10:45 a.m. and received several hours of treatment that reduced swelling in his ankle.
Freeman underwent his normal pregame workout on the field, and after hitting a high-speed pitching machine in the batting cage about 2½ hours before the first pitch, he told manager Dave Roberts he felt good enough to play. That decision looked pretty good after Freeman’s sharp single in the first inning.
“That really helped with the feeling process,” Freeman said. “I felt good after my first at-bat, so I knew I could do it.”
But good enough to steal a base? That seemed unfathomable to players and coaches in both dugouts, to Padres pitcher Dylan Cease and to virtually everyone else in a sold-out crowd of 53,028.
“I think the stolen base was just pure luck,” Freeman said. “I leaned against Clayton [McCullough, first-base coach]and said, ‘What is [Cease’s time to the plate]? They know I have a sprained ankle, and I thought they didn’t think I was going to steal. He said, ‘1.65 seconds.’ I said, ‘Can I go?’ And he says, ‘Can you run?’ And I just left.
“You know, 30 yards means a lot in this game, especially in the postseason. I know I took a big risk with my feelings, but the opportunity presented itself and I had to go for it. If I can’t play the game the right way, I shouldn’t be there. So I felt good enough, adrenaline took over. But the adrenaline has worn off now. I’m tired.”
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What was Roberts thinking when he saw Freeman leave second?
“I was holding my breath,” he said. ‘And that emergency landing, I wanted to make sure he could get up. As a competitor, Freddie felt there was an opportunity to get into scoring position with no one out. It’s a calculated game. I think he played possum with everyone. But it’s just a heady game and a courageous game. … He just forced himself into the lineup. He was definitely medicated.”
In addition to physical therapy sessions and extensive pregame treatments, painkillers will be part of Freeman’s daily regimen for the rest of the postseason.
“Everything is doctor prescribed, whatever the doctors allow me to do, but yes, there is some help,” Freeman said. “Unfortunately, this will probably be the case every day, but I think we have a good plan and approach.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
