How “heroically” Freddie Freeman emerged from the ordeal with the momentum of his life

LOS ANGELES – It was a sprained ankle, not a bad knee or hamstring. It was 10 innings of pain, not an unlikely, close appearance off the bench. It was a raising of the bat to the sky and a roar as he trotted around the bases, not a fist pump.

But 36 years after a walking-impaired Kirk Gibson made the impossible possible in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, Freddie Freeman penned the latest legendary World Series opener for the Dodgers, delivering the first walk-off grand slam in the history of the Fall A classic that left 52,394 fans in a frenzy.

“I love the history of this game,” Freeman said. “It's special to be a part of it. I've been playing this game for a long time, and when you show up in these moments, you dream about these moments, even if you're 35 and have been in the league for 15 years. You want to be a part of it.

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Freeman joined Gibson and Joe Carter (1993) as the only players to ever hit a walk-off home run with his team trailing in the World Series.

As he strolled through the bases after giving the Dodgers a 6-3 comeback win over the Yankees in Game 1, Freeman said he felt like he was floating. Teammate Max Muncy, who hit a walk-off home run in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, is one of the few who understands that feeling.

“You’re going unconscious right now,” Muncy said. “Personally, you don’t remember much of it. I’ll remember this one a lot more than mine.”

With the Dodgers trailing by a run by their final out in the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and set up the lefty-lefty.

On the mound was Nestor Cortes, who was added to the playoff roster after missing the Yankees' first two playoff series with an elbow injury. At the helm was Freeman, whose right ankle sprain and bone bruise had left the eight-time All-Star in a disabled version.

“You go through a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux said, “to get to another first-ballot Hall of Famer.”

Freeman was unable to play in two of the Dodgers' final three games in the National League Championship Series and went without an extra-base hit in his team's first two postseason series. But the break before the World Series gave Freeman the breathing space he needed.

Every day during the playoffs created uncertainty regarding Freeman's availability. Occasionally, like at the team breakfast before Game 4 of the NLDS and the day off before Game 6 of the NLCS, the Dodgers called early to use Freeman in his best interest. However, manager Dave Roberts often didn't know whether he could keep Freeman's name in the lineup until just before the first pitch.

He began the playoffs going 6-for-17 — all singles — before a 1-for-15 stretch. He had only scored one run in those eight games. In Game 1 of the NLCS, he crossed the plate and had to be held by Betts to stop his momentum. The more Freeman played and the longer a series lasted, the more limited his ankle became. The problem began to seep into his momentum.

“Back then, about a week ago, I could get through four or five innings before I had trouble walking,” Freeman said. “In Game 5, it started pretty much right after my first at-bat. It just got to the point where it became really hard for me to get through the game.”

With that scenario in mind, the Dodgers decided to use him for Game 6 of the NLCS. The week off meant Freeman didn't have to run for six days, which usually causes his ankle to flare up. He was still receiving treatment in the field for 3-4 hours a day. The time off helped. Three days ago, Freeman knew he was “100 percent” ready. There was no question for him that he would be in the starting line-up.

“You can't get them to like this guy anymore,” Lux said. “He's brave, he's old-fashioned, he wants to be out there. If there are kids out there who want an idol, that’s the guy you want to be there.”

As his teammates watched his swings at the time, they saw a different version of their All-Star first baseman.

“I mean, you know,” Kiké Hernández said. “You know your teammates. They know their swings. You know their behavior. He took BP a few days ago and it didn’t look the same as it did a few days ago.”

Hernández was not alone. Reliever Daniel Hudson was hitting balls in left field with Chris Taylor during batting practice when he noticed Freeman peppering line drives over shortstop and third base. Freeman started to look like himself again.

“CT looks at me and says, 'I think Freddie's about to go,'” Hudson recalls. “I thought, 'Yeah, those are Freddie swings.'”

At that point, Freeman believed he had unlocked a key element in his swing with hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc. It wasn't necessarily any displays of force or power that proved this.

“It’s not about lifting weights or doing any of that,” Freeman said. “When my swing is in the right place and you're hitting line drives and your swing is in a good place, that's where you create the backspin. I can't create the spin. When I do that, I do topspin and hook.” All when you swing well and straight to the ball, that's how you create the backspin.

“He’s coming to power,” Van Scoyoc added. “If he’s on time, he’ll catch it.”

On Cortes' first pitch, he caught a 92.5 mph fastball on the inside half of the plate and shook Dodger Stadium.

“Those are the scenarios you dream about: two outs, bases loaded in a World Series game,” Freeman said. “For it to actually happen and for us to hit a home run and take a 1-0 lead, that’s the best thing ever.”

After a dogpile with his teammates, Freeman ran behind home plate to celebrate the moment with his father, the man who gave him batting practice his entire life.

“My swing is thanks to him,” Freeman said. “My approach is thanks to him. I am who I am because of him.”

Three months ago, his father was also there to throw him, in the middle of one of the most trying moments of Freeman's life. A turbulent second half of the season began for Freeman at the end of July when his three-year-old son Max suddenly became ill. The decline was rapid. On July 22nd, Max could no longer walk. The Freeman family eventually learned that Max had Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease. Freeman took 10 days away from the team to be with his son, who is now on the road to recovery and able to walk again.

Two days before returning to the Dodgers, the Southern California native visited his former high school, El Modena, and hit the field with his father. In his first at-bat on August 5 at Dodger Stadium, he received a standing ovation not only from 48,178 fans, but also from the Phillies' dugout.

“When I was away with my family for a week and a half, the most special thing ever was the first day I came back because my family and I could feel the love and support,” Freeman said. “I tried to reciprocate that night and thank them and everything, but I think they appreciate it a little bit more three months later.”

The tumultuous times off the field were met with hardship when he broke his finger in August. He decided to play through the pain. He recovered from a slow start in September with a .316 average in his final ten games of the regular season, but then sprained his ankle in the Dodgers' decisive game against the Padres on September 26 while trying to avoid a hit from Luis Arraez. It swelled like a grapefruit and left him in a boot while the Dodgers celebrated. He was told it was a four to six week injury.

Ten days later, with his ankles taped, he stood like a football player in the lineup for Game 1 of the NLDS.

“He does something that is fundamentally heroic,” Hernández said.

That night, he not only played but stole a base while his manager and teammates held their breath. Freeman's desire to play became a driving force in the clubhouse of a team trying to advance past first-round exits the previous two seasons.

“A lot of us are broken,” Lux said, “So you see this guy can barely walk for a few weeks, comes out and still steals bases, runs hard down the line and limps everywhere, it makes you want to go out and do it too to play hard.

For years, the World Series included a Taco Bell “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion.

Before Game 1, Freeman threatened his teammates that he would try.

“And we all told him, if you steal a base, we're going to go on the field and get you off the field ourselves,” Muncy said. “Of course he gets a triple.”

Freeman started the day with a three-pointer against Cole. He finished 90 feet further as a walk-off winner for the ages.

“This might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever experienced,” Roberts said.

“For him to have this moment, after everything he's been through,” Lux said, “you couldn't be happier for the guy.”

Just as the grand slam left Freeman's bat, Hudson looked up from the bullpen to the banner showing exit velocity. It flashed 109. He knew the game was over.

Not long after, Hudson reflected on Gibson's explosion.

“I was probably one of two people here who were still alive when it happened,” the 37-year-old helper joked. “You see it on TV, the side-by-side experience on social media as soon as it happens. It was a really special moment for all the fans here, for everyone, especially for Freddie. I know that meant a lot to him.” ”

At least for a few hours.

On Friday, Freeman arrived at the stadium at 10:30 a.m. to begin treatment.

He'll do it again on Saturday. Game 2 awaits.

“This trophy is what keeps you going through the hard work every day,” Freeman said. “When you go into spring training in February, your focus is on doing everything you can. That’s what makes it worth it to me.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the LA Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. Rowan, an LSU graduate, was born in California, grew up in Texas and then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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