Freddie Freeman plays the superhero again in Game 3 of the World Series

NEW YORK (AP) — Freddie Freeman, who requires nearly five hours a day of treatment for his severely sprained ankle, may not have the luxury of ice when he arrives Tuesday night for Game 4 of the World Series.

The Dodgers will need all that ice to ensure they can keep the hundreds of bottles of champagne and cans of beer cool for the raucous celebration they are planning.

The Dodgers are poised to clinch the World Series title after defeating the New York Yankees again, 4-2, on Monday in front of a subdued crowd at Yankee Stadium.

The Dodgers are 25th^Th The first team in World Series history to take a 3 games lead to 0, and 21 of those previous series ended in victory. The Yankees have been 0-3 in six postseason series in franchise history and have been defeated each time.

The way the Dodgers think it is, a sweep will give them more time to prepare for their parade, which is expected to take place Friday in downtown Los Angeles, their first World Series parade since 1988.

The Dodgers won the World Series during the pandemic in 2020, but with COVID-19 there was no parade or even a wild champagne celebration.

“We want that parade,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We never had the opportunity to celebrate with the city of Los Angeles. This is something like an incentive.

“But beyond that you have the opportunity to become world champion. So, we're right there. “That is more than enough incentive and motivation.”

Freeman doesn't need motivation. What he does now, night after night, homer after homer on baseball's biggest stage, cements a legacy that may never be forgotten in Dodgers history.

GAME 3 HIGHLIGHTS: The Dodgers are one win away from the World Series championship

“I assume Freddie will never pay for a meal in LA again,” Dodgers outfielder Kiké Hernández said. “It's not just because of what he's done in the last three games, but also what he's done in the last month to put himself in a position to just step up and wear cleats.

“I really don't think you have any idea what he went through to be able to play here.

“It’s starting to become some superhero stuff.”

Freeman, hobbling on one leg since suffering a severe ankle sprain in the final week of the regular season, is putting on one of the greatest World Series power shows since the days of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

He has hit a home run in every game of this World Series, and since 2021, when he led Atlanta to a title, he has hit a home run in five consecutive World Series games, tying George Springer for the all-time record.

Freeman is batting .333 with three homers, a triple and seven RBI in the series, in addition to his .385 on-base percentage, 1.250 slugging percentage and 1.635 OPS with three runs scored. The only Dodger players in franchise history with more RBI in a World Series are Hall of Famers Duke Snider and Gil Hodges, who each have eight RBI.

“You can really cement a legacy for a guy like Freddie,” said Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, “who really doesn't need anything more to cement his legacy.” “That was a very special run for him.”

It started in Game 1 when he pitched a two-out, 10^Th-Inning walk-off grand slam in the Dodgers' 6-3 win. He hit another home run in the third inning of Game 2 in the Dodgers' 4-2 win. And there he was again on Monday night, hitting a two-run home run off Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt, with the Dodgers never looking back.

Yes, those are stats that could find their way onto Freeman's plaque in Cooperstown, who Hernández believes has the best credentials for the Hall of Fame of any player on the field in this World Series.

“I mean, if he stays healthy up to this point,” Hernández said, “he's going to have a really good chance to hit 3,000 hits. “Just look at the production he's put in.”

Hernández laughs, recalling how hard Freeman was on himself during the season and lamenting that he hit .282 with 22 homers and 89 RBI, with an OPS of .854, still 43rd % above the league average.

“And that was his worst year of his career,” Hernández said. “That says a lot about the player, especially since he has been in the big leagues for 14 years. You just see it based on his track record.''

GAME 3: Silence in the Bronx, Yankees lose again

Freeman, an eight-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, MVP winner with eight top-10 finishes, has collected 2,267 hits and 343 home runs with an OPS of .899.

But what he did in that World Series could forever be remembered in Dodger folklore, knowing that doctors told him his ankle wouldn't fully heal for another six weeks, and that he was successful in a time was when the Dodgers needed him most.

“This guy did it with one foot,” Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux said, “and broken bones everywhere.” It was really fun to watch him do what he did after everything he's been through this year does.

“He is the ultimate competitor. He's just Freddie Freeman. Nothing should surprise us.

“He’s just locked in at the moment and playing on one leg, which is crazy.”

If anyone in the Dodgers clubhouse is surprised, it might be Freeman himself. This is a guy who hit just .100 in the postseason last year, when the Dodgers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, and he was completely healthy. In the first two rounds of the playoffs against the San Diego Padres and New York Mets, he posted a .219 batting average with one RBI and no extra-base hits and stayed out of the lineup in two NLCS games.

There was no guarantee that he would be healthy enough to even play in the World Series.

Now here he is, the most dominant hitter on the field full of All-Stars, five former MVPs, the American League's home run king (Aaron Judge), the first 50/50 player (Shohei Ohtani) and the greatest young hitter in the game (Juan Soto).

Who would have thought that the Dodgers' loss in Game 5 of the NLCS to the Mets, which meant the World Series couldn't begin earlier on October 22, was the most advantageous postseason loss in history and gave Freeman five days' rest.

“Those days off were huge for me,” Freeman said. “Days off when you’re injured helped. I got my ankle in a spot where I could work on my swing and luckily got off to a good start in the series. I saw the ball very well. “I swing the shots, take the balls and don’t miss a single mistake.”

It's crazy to think about it, Freeman says, but despite his sore ankle, his swing has never felt better this season.

“There were points throughout the season that I liked,” Freeman said, “but I felt like it was a constant battle throughout the season.” “I'm thankful it's in a good place now .”

Really, says Yankees manager Aaron Boone, if they didn't know better, no one would ever know that Freeman was ever injured.

“Of course we all know what a great player Freddie Freeman is,” Boone said. “I think the couple of days after the championship series certainly did him good and helped him, especially probably in the batter's box. “He comes away with swings like you would normally expect from Freddie, when maybe that wasn’t the case in previous rounds.”

And now, when the Dodgers finish the World Series in New York, you can see Freeman dancing around the field in celebration, knowing he has all winter to rest his ankle.

“I really just want to lift this trophy,” Freeman said. “I don’t care if I go oh-for-70 with 70 strikeouts as long as we win. We know what's at stake.

“We have the chance to become champions.”

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