It wasn’t probably the most beautiful October second delivered by a gimpy Dodgers participant in Chavez Ravine. That honor will at all times go to Kirk Gibson, who hobbled across the bases on two bum knees after his walk-off dwelling run off Oakland Athletic nearer Dennis Eckersley landed within the right-field pavilion in Recreation 1 of the 1988 World Collection.
But it surely was up there.
After main off the third inning of Saturday evening’s Nationwide League Division Collection-opening 7-5 victory over the the San Diego Padres with a single, Freddie Freeman — taking part in on a proper ankle that was so severely sprained medical doctors instructed him “this is a four-to six-week [injured list] stint” — took off for second base.
And he stole it, sending a jolt of power and an additional dose of dedication via a Dodgers dugout that had begun to seek out its footing after erasing a 3-0 first-inning deficit on Shohei Ohtani’s score-tying three-run dwelling run within the second inning.
“We had a saying in 2020 when we won [the World Series], guys were going around saying, ‘Hey, I’m prepared to die out there today,’ ” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy stated. “Obviously, it’s metaphorical, but that’s kind of the mentality we’re taking again this year, like nothing should hold us back out there, and Freddie proved that tonight.
“He gets the hits, makes the plays, steals a bag, and it sends a message to our dugout that 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 that meant to see Freddie doing that. It’s just really cool. It almost gives you chills.”
Freddie Freeman celebrates after hitting a single within the third inning Saturday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
Freeman’s stolen base put him on second with no outs, and although he didn’t rating within the inning, it gave the crew hope that its 35-year-old first baseman and No. 3 hitter can be an element on this sequence regardless of his damage, which he sustained making an attempt to keep away from a tag whereas working out a grounder within the Sept. 26 division-clinching win over San Diego.
Freeman lined a 109-mph single to proper area in his first at-bat within the first inning. After his third-inning single to proper, he grounded right into a fielder’s selection throughout a three-run fourth inning, grounded out to first within the sixth and struck out within the eighth.
“When you see a guy like Freddie going through what he’s going through and making himself available to play, that speaks a lot,” stated shortstop Miguel Rojas, who’s taking part in with a left-adductor pressure. “It pushed me to forget about everything that is going on with me, because I’m not even close to what he’s going through.
“Nobody in this clubhouse is 100%. We all understand that. But the fire and the fight from this team is unbelievable.”
When Rojas noticed Freeman limping across the clubhouse early Saturday afternoon, he thought there was “no chance” Freeman would play.
“I thought he had like a 5% chance with how he looked when he got here,” Rojas stated. “I don’t think anybody expected him to play. It was borderline a miracle.”
Freeman went via a exercise on Friday however awakened so sore on Saturday that he instructed his 8-year-old son, Charlie, “I don’t know if Daddy is going to be able to play today.” Freeman arrived at Dodger Stadium at 10:45 a.m. and acquired a number of hours of remedy that diminished the swelling in his ankle.
Freeman went via his regular pregame exercise on the sphere, and after hitting off a high-velocity pitching machine within the batting cage about 2½ hours earlier than first pitch, he instructed supervisor Dave Roberts he felt adequate to play. That call appeared fairly good after Freeman’s sharp single within the first inning.
Within the Dodgers’ 7-5 win within the opening sport of the Nationwide League Division Collection, Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run dwelling run to tie the sport. And 6 scoreless innings from the Dodgers’ bullpen saved the lead from altering.
“That really helped with the feeling-out process,” Freeman stated. “I felt good after my first at bat, so I knew I could do it.”
However adequate to steal a base? That appeared unfathomable to gamers and coaches in each dugouts, to Padres pitcher Dylan Stop and to simply about everybody in a sellout crowd of 53,028.
“I think the stolen base was just pure luck,” Freeman stated. “I leaned into Clayton [McCullough, first-base coach], and said, ‘What is [Cease’s time to the plate]? They know I have a sprained ankle, and I figured they didn’t think I was gonna steal. He said, ‘1.65 seconds.’ I said, ‘Can I go?’ And he goes, ‘Can you run?’ And I just took off.
“You know, 90 feet means a lot in this game, especially in the postseason. I know I took a big risk with how I’m feeling, 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 out there. So I was feeling good enough, adrenaline took over. But the adrenaline’s worn off now. I’m tired.”
What did Roberts assume when he noticed Freeman take off for second?
“I was holding my breath,” he stated. “And that crash landing, I wanted to make sure he was able to get up. Freddie, as a competitor, felt there was a chance to get into scoring position with nobody out. It’s a calculated play. I guess he was playing possum with everybody. But it’s just a heady play and a gutsy play. … He just willed himself into the lineup. He was certainly medicated.”
Along with bodily remedy classes and intensive pregame remedies, pain-killers will likely be a part of Freeman’s each day routine for the remainder of the postseason.
“Everything is doctor prescribed, whatever the doctors allow me to have, but yeah, there’s some help,” Freeman stated. “Unfortunately, this probably might be how it is every day, but I think we have a good plan and approach.”
