Freddie Freeman dealt with more than a lingering ankle issue during the Dodgers’ run to a World Series title.
The Dodgers star had also been secretly playing through the playoffs with broken rib cartilage, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Thursday, the day after the Dodgers defeated the Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 to capture the MLB crown.
Freeman was named World Series MVP as he slugged his way against the Yanks and made a bit of history in the process.
The latest revelation makes the feat even more stunning considering the injury he was battling.
Freeman had discovered that he had broken the costal cartilage in his sixth rib just days before the start of the Dodgers NLDS series against the Padres.
Freeman had felt the issue during a live batting practice session and was unable to even pick himself up off the ground he was in so much pain.
He also had to be helped to the X-ray room, according to the ESPN report.
More testing ultimately revealed what was the issue and Freeman’s father Fred even begged his some not to play.
“I actually told him to stop,” Fred told ESPN. “I said, ‘Freddie, this is not worth it. I know you love baseball. I love baseball. But it’s not worth what you’re going through.’ And he looked at me like I was crazy, and he said, ‘Dad, I’m never going to stop.’”
The 2024 season was marked with a number of issues for Freeman including injuries and an off-field scare involving his son Max’s health it had been a trying year at times.
Following the World Series win, Freeman said inside the Yankee Stadium press conference room that he had learned a lot about himself this year.
“I wish I’d never had to go through what we did as a family,” he said. “But ultimately Maximus is doing really, really well right now. He’s a special boy, but it has been a grind for three months. It really has. It’s been a lot. Then obviously with the injuries at the end, it makes it all worth it kind of in the end. I’ll never compare Maximus to baseball. I won’t. It’s just two separate things, but with him doing really well now, it does mean a little bit extra.”
Freeman hit .240 in the World Series and his four home runs in four consecutive games made him the first MLB player ever to do so in the Fall Classic.
He had homered in six straight World Series games dating back to the final two games of the World Series in 2021 through the first four games of the series this year.
