Freddie Freeman turning it up at just the right time

Without Freddie Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers would not be one win away from their eighth World Series championship. The All-Star first baseman has homered in each of the three World Series games so far and has homered in five straight in which he's played, dating back to the 2021 World Series. He's tied with George Springer for the most World Series games in a row with a home run.

Freeman's home runs have all been huge, too. His Game 1 extra innings walk-off grand slam salvaged a 6-3 win for Los Angeles and eerily mimicked Kirk Gibson's Game 1 home run from the 1988 World Series. In Game 2, Freeman's third-inning solo shot gave the Dodgers more breathing room, eventually winning 4-2. Monday night in Game 3, Freeman opened the game with a two-run home run, deflating the Yankee Stadium crowd and catapulting the Dodgers to an early lead.

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Remarkably, Freeman's postseason stats hadn't been very good heading into the Fall Classic. He hadn't even hit for extra bases in any of the Dodgers NLDS or NLCS games, notching seven singles and one RBI in the eight games he played. Freeman's pedestrian stats may have to do with a nagging ankle injury, but that injury hasn't stopped him in the World Series.

Freeman has four extra-base hits against the Yankees, three home runs and a triple, and has driven in seven runs, all via the home run. Is there precedent for this in Freeman's past? Yes. In the 2021 World Series, Freeman recorded a hit in each of the six games, including a homer apiece in Games 5 and 6. In all nine World Series games Freeman has played, he's hitting .324 with five home runs and 12 RBI.

Game 4 of the World Series will begin at 8:08 from Yankee Stadium Tuesday. The Yankees must win or their season is over. New York is starting Luis Gil on the mound and as of Tuesday morning the Dodgers starter is undecided, though it is known that they will be going with a bullpen game.

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