A big moment on the biggest stage for Freddie Freeman, his family and Dodgers fans

LOS ANGELES – Freddie Freeman's father wanted Mookie Betts to get the hit. Wanted the New York Yankees to pitch to Betts instead of intentionally walking him, setting up his son for the first walkoff grand slam in World Series history.

“I was actually hoping Mookie would get hit so Freddie wouldn’t show up,” Fred Freeman said.

WHAT?

“He hasn’t played much lately,” Fred said of his youngest son. “I thought, 'Mookie swings the bat really well.'”

Fred was right. Freddie, playing with a severe ankle sprain, did not play in two of the last three National League Championship games. However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone made the obvious decision.

Leading 3-2 in the 10th inning, the Yankees were one out away from winning Game 1 of the World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers had runners on second and third. Left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. would not face right-hander Betts. He would bring in the left-handed Freeman, who hadn't had an extra-base hit in the postseason before Friday night.

It was over quicker than you can say “Kirk Gibson.”

Freeman attacked Cortes' first pitch, a 92.5 mph fastball down and in. The ball bounced off his bat into right field at 109.2 mph. It would be the hardest ball Freeman has hit for a base hit since August 31st. But Fred, sitting up front, just behind home plate, wasn't sure the ball would go out.

“When he swung, I knew it was a good swing. But you never know,” said Fred. “(I thought) is it far enough? Is it far enough? And then I saw him do the mic drop with the bat. And I knew it was gone.”

Freddie's wife, Chelsea, sat in the family suite.

“I literally almost fainted,” she said. “It was absolutely incredible. I am at a loss for words.”

During the wild on-field celebration that followed the Dodgers' 6-3 victory, Freddie sprinted to Fred and dove into the net behind home plate. The two touched hands, the son greeted the man who largely raised him and his two older brothers as a single father, the man who to this day allows him to take batting practice in the offseason. Freddie's mother Rosemary died of melanoma in 2000 when he was 10 years old.

What did he say to his father?

“I was just screaming in his face,” Freeman said in his postgame interview with me on Fox. “I’m sorry, Dad. He's been there since I was a little boy, giving me batting practice every day. This is not my moment. This is my father’s moment.”

“(My dad) has been there since I was a little boy and gave me batting practice every day. This isn’t my moment, it’s his moment.” 🙏@FreddieFreeman5 joins in @Ken_Rosenthal after his walk-off grand slam in Game 1 for the @Dodgers! pic.twitter.com/7KH8fNfIFK

– FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 26, 2024

Actually, it was a moment for everyone.

Once you get to a certain age, the Gibson Homer immediately comes to mind. Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium. Gibson limps to the plate with two injured legs. A two-out, pinch-hit, walk-off shot in the ninth off Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley turned a 4-3 deficit into a stunning 5-4 victory.

“But I played the whole game,” Freeman said, sparking laughter in the postgame interview room.

Gibson's punch sent the Oakland A's reeling, the equivalent of the first big punch landed by an underdog in a heavyweight fight. The Dodgers upset the A's four to one. Gibson's attack was his only one of the series. If the Dodgers hadn't won, his home run might not be remembered in the same way.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who called Freeman's shot perhaps “the greatest baseball moment I've ever experienced,” wasn't quite ready to make the Gibson comparison.

“It’s iconic,” Roberts said. “I think we win three more games, that will be at the top.”

For those who prefer to nitpick, Gibson appeared to be more seriously injured than Freeman. Eckersley was a far more successful pitcher than Cortes. But the parallels between the home runs, right down to where they each landed in the right field stands, actually provided an echo of history that baseball offers like no other sport.

“Outside of the first pumps, everything was the same,” Roberts said, referring to Gibson’s legendary trip around the bases.

Freeman's journey was remarkable in itself. He held his bat high with his right hand as he walked up the first base line, did his own version of a mic drop and even moved between second and third base. The Dodgers, accustomed to Freeman's stoicism, were pleased with his reaction.

“He's classic when he hits the ball hard, puts the bat on the ground and runs hard,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “I’ve never seen him hit a home run like that.”

Now if there ever was a time. . .

“You dream about these moments, even if you’re 35 and have been in the league for 15 years,” Freeman said, “you want to be a part of them.”

Before the game, Freeman joked with his teammates that he would be the first player to steal a base in the Series, which sparked a promotion in which that player would “steal” a free taco that fans could get at Taco Bells in the USA could redeem

The promotion was discontinued this season because Taco Bell is no longer a sponsor of Major League Baseball. The Dodgers, clearly unaware of the change, reacted vehemently to Freeman's mere suggestion that he might steal a base.

“We all told him, if you do that, we will go on the field and take you off the field,” Muncy said. “Of course he hits a triple. Of course it was somehow like that. I wouldn’t have expected anything else.”

Freeman's triple in the first inning probably should have been a double, but Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo misplayed the carom off the wall along the third base line. When Roberts was asked what he thought as Freeman chugged into third place, he initially responded with just one word:

“Stop.”

But Freeman, despite his cautious moves, insists on playing with the advantage. He was similarly opportunistic in his first game of the postseason, earning second place just nine days after suffering an ankle sprain. Doctors told him that recovery from such an injury typically takes four to six weeks.

At times this offseason, Freeman has been almost painful to watch. In San Diego, he could be seen in the clubhouse during the Division Series, struggling to walk barefoot with his ankles turned inward.

On Friday, he said he arrived at Dodger Stadium at 10:30 a.m. PT to begin treatment for a game that would begin at 5:08 p.m. However, his six days off would have served him well. Freeman stopped. He said it was the first time in a week that he gave his teammates a high five at the introduction.

The ankle wasn't Freeman's only physical problem late in the season – he also suffered a hairline fracture in his right middle finger while attempting to throw a ball on August 17 in St. Louis. However, this injury cost him minimal time. The ankle was not only physically debilitating, but also mentally and emotionally debilitating.

“We had to tell him, 'Hey, we're picking you up,'” Muncy said. “He wants to be out there every day. And we told him: Take the day now, use the day off and be ready for the next game. It's hard for a man like him to accept that. But everyone in this clubhouse has had his back the entire time.”

Freeman's father also praised his son's steadfastness.

“I can’t believe he’s playing, let alone doing this,” Fred said. “I'm so proud of him. I don't even have the words for it. I’m bursting with pride.”

Before Game 1, Chelsea Freeman gathered the Dodgers' women together for a toast. As she stood on the field after Freddie's home run, she recalled her message: “To think a few months ago how rock bottom we were and where we are today is just incredible.”

Chelsea didn't talk about the Dodgers. She spoke about her family and in particular Maximus, the youngest of the Freemans' three sons. In late July, Max, 3, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which the body's immune system attacks its nerves.

Max was temporarily paralyzed. He was placed on a ventilator. Freeman had been away from the team for 10 days and was moved to tears when he returned to the clubhouse to find blue T-shirts with #MaxStrong on the front and Freeman's name and number 5 on the back.

Chelsea and Freddie Freeman with their sons Max (in arms), Brandon (right) and Charlie (center). (Ken Rosenthal/The Athletic)

All three Freeman boys were in the Dodgers' family room when Freddie hit his grand slam Friday night, and “they were probably freaking out down there,” Chelsea said with a laugh. The whole family then gathered in the field. Max limped toward full recovery but found comfort in his father's arms.

“It's been a long three months, but these fans here when I came back in the first game showed their love,” Freeman said during his interview on Fox as the crowd hung on every word. “I’m just glad I was able to return the favor tonight.”

By this point, Freeman had dried off from the ritual immersion in ice water by teammates Muncy and Teoscar Hernández. His teammates were still in the clubhouse talking about him, praising his character and marveling at his strength.

“It couldn’t be a better person,” Betts said.

Or as Roberts put it, “If you do things right, play the right way, you're a good teammate, I just think the game honors you.” Tonight, Freddie was honored.”

Funny how the game can get so poetic, isn't it? Boone called for Cortes to face Shohei Ohtani with two on and one out. At this point, Ohtani was in the points position with 18 of 24 runners. In the batting cage, Kiké Hernández made a not-so-bold prediction.

“I thought Shohei was going to end it,” Hernández said. “But I'm really glad Shohei didn't end it.”

No, it had to end the way it did. When Ohtani threw up a foul popup that Verdugo somehow caught as it fell into the stands, both runners automatically advanced because it landed out of bounds. While the Yankees intentionally walk Betts to load the bases. And with Freeman doing his unique slam.

Fred Freeman was right: Betts had actually swung the bat well. But after what his son accomplished in Game 1, Fred realized he needed to reset his expectations.

“Freddie now too,” said Fred, enjoying the moment and laughing into the night.

(Top photo by Freddie Freeman: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)