It wasn’t the most impressive October moment provided by a lame Dodgers player in Chavez Ravine. That honor will always be for kirk gibsonwho limped around the bases with two knees on the ground after his Deciding homer off Oakland Athletic closer Dennis Eckersley he 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 NL Division Series opener 7-5 victory over the San Diego Padres with a single, Freddie Freeman – playing with a right ankle that was so badly sprained that doctors told him “this is a four- to six-week period (DL)” – walked out to 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 had begun to find its footing after erasing a 3-0 first-inning deficit. Shohei Ohtani’s three-run homer tied the score in the second entry.
“We had a saying in 2020, when we won (the World Series), guys were going around saying, ‘Hey, I’m prepared to die today,’” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “Obviously, it’s metaphorical, but that’s the mentality we’re adopting again this year, like nothing should stop us, and Freddie showed that tonight.
“He gets the hits, he makes the plays, he 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 it meant to see Freddie doing that. It’s really cool. It almost gives you chills.”
Freeman’s stolen base put him on second with no outs, and although he didn’t score in the inning, it gave the team hope that their 35-year-old first baseman and No. 3 hitter would be a factor in this series despite his injury, which suffered trying to avoid a tag while executing a ground ball in the Victory that secured the division on September 26 about San Diego.
Freeman hit a 109 mph single to right field in his first at-bat of the first inning. After his single to right field in the third inning, he hit a fielder’s choice grounder during a three-run fourth inning, grounded out to first in the sixth and struck out in the eighth.
“When you see a guy like Freddie going through what he’s going through and being available to play, that speaks volumes,” the shortstop said. Miguel Rojasthat plays with a strain in the left adductor. “It pushed me to forget about everything that is happening to me, because I am not even close to what he is 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 around the clubhouse Saturday afternoon, he thought there was “no chance” Freeman would play.
“I thought he had like a 5% chance of what he looked like when he got here,” Rojas said. “I don’t think anyone expected me to play. It was almost a miracle.”
Freeman worked out Friday, but woke up so sore Saturday 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 the swelling in his ankle.
Freeman went through his normal pregame workout on the field, and after hitting a high-speed pitching machine in the batting cage about two and a half hours before the first pitch, he told manager Dave Roberts that he felt good enough to play. That decision looked pretty good after Freeman’s strong single in the first inning.
“That really helped with the evaluation 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 the players and coaches in both dugouts, to Padres pitcher Dylan Cease and to nearly everyone in a sellout crowd of 53,028.
“I think the stolen base was just luck,” Freeman said. “I leaned over to Clayton (McCullough, first base coach) and said, ‘What is (the timeout at 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 come?’ And he says, ‘Can you run?’ And I just left.
“You know, 90 feet means a lot in this game, especially in the postseason. I know I took a big risk with how I feel, but the opportunity presented itself and I had to give it a try. If I can’t play the game the right way, I shouldn’t be out there. I felt pretty good and the adrenaline took over. But the adrenaline is no longer there. I’m tired.”
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What did Roberts think when he saw Freeman take second place?
“I was holding my breath,” he said. “And in that crash landing, I wanted to make sure he could get up. Freddie, as a competitor, felt there was a chance to be in a scoring position without anyone going. It’s a calculated move. I guess he was playing possum with everyone. But it’s just a heady, brave piece of work. … He just imposed himself on the lineup. “He was certainly medicated.”
In addition to physical therapy sessions and extensive pregame treatments, pain relievers will be part of Freeman’s daily regimen for the remainder of the postseason.
“Everything is prescribed by the doctor, whatever the doctors allow me to have, but yes, there is some help,” Freeman said. “Unfortunately, this is probably like this every day, but I think we have a good plan and approach.”
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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
