Freddie Freeman was expected to sit out in the Los Angeles Dodgers VS New York Yankees game. But before Los Angeles announced their lineup, he came out of the home dugout and performed his pregame drills. Freeman limped all throughout his high knees and seemed uneasy running down the first-base line.
“No chance,” shortstop Miguel Rojas said when he was asked if he expected Freeman to dress up for the match. “I had it [at] like 5%, especially the way he got here [that afternoon]. I don’t think anybody expected him to play. It was a borderline miracle.”
Most players would have nursed their injury, but Freeman played through a bone bruise that kept him absent for four to six weeks. He approached Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman and asked them to put him in the lineup.
“I told Charlie, ‘I don’t know if Daddy is going to be able to play today,’’Freeman said, referencing a conversation he had with his son.
As the playoffs continue, Freddie’s status will remain a game-time decision. According to Roberts, Freeman will be in the starting lineup, until he is not. But as limps for each match, he continues to bring his best for the team, posting an average of .273 in six matches.
“I think we all believe that if you sacrifice something, then it means more,” Roberts said. “He’s sacrificing his body right now. He’s doing a lot that people don’t know about to stay on the field. And so, when he’s doing that, it means more to him.”
Since Freeman suffered a sprain on September 26th, he has practically lived in the trainer’s room. On matchdays, he shows up hours before his teammates. First, he will decrease the swelling, a process made harder by playing through injury.
When he and the trainers have worked on that, the first baseman than tests out the new procedure on the pitch. He does as much pregame drills as he can manage. Freeman takes some ground balls at first base and tries simulating breaking to the bag.
“What he’s doing for us has been unbelievable,” Muncy said. “You can’t ask a guy to go out there and put his body on the line every single night like that. I know it’s the playoffs, but what he’s doing has been Gladiator-style for us. We definitely appreciate it.”
Everytime Freeman plays, he stuns his teammates. Before Game 4 of the NDLS, as Los Angeles faced elimination against the San Diego Padres, it was the team’s turn to pay Freddie back. He couldn’t play in consecutive matches.
“We all told Freddie, ‘We got you,’” Muncy said. “Then, we showed up in [Game 5] and he said, ‘Don’t worry, guys. I got you tonight.’’
