Freddie Freeman Unpacks Incredible 15-Pitch At-Bat That Shifted Momentum in Dodgers Win
Remember way back to Wednesday when Freddie Freeman had that incredible 15-pitch at-bat that completely shifted the momentum in their win over the Giants? Yeah, that at-bat that feels like two months ago after the way the Dodgers offense looked on Friday in their 8-2 loss to the Cubs? Well, try to think back to that moment, one in which Clayton Kershaw called a “season shift” type of at-bat.
While we know how Kershaw and Max Muncy reacted to the incredible at-bat, we also wanted to let you know how the person behind the at-bat reacted, and what was going through his head while he was fouling off pitch after pitch in the marathon of a plate appearance. Here’s what Freeman said after the game about his mentality trying to stay alive with the bases loaded.
“When I got to two strikes, all I was doing was trying to move it forward,” Freeman said. “Even if I ground into a double play, we had to take the lead there. That’s all I was really trying to do. I was trying to guard against back-door sinkers, front-door sliders. Two strikes, it’s hard to just let loose. So I was just trying to battle, just trying to push the ball forward. It kept going backwards.
“I could not strike out in that situation. Just in case Will (Smith) rolls into a double play and we don’t score any runs. So that’s all I was trying to do. I think I had a few pitches that I should have probably moved forward, but I didn’t. But there was no frustration. After I walked, everyone was pretty fired up. So it was kind of cool.”
Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register
Freeman definitely accomplished his goals there as, 15 pitches later, he was on first base, and the Dodgers had a 4-3 lead. Then, two batters later, Max Muncy really made the Giants pay, depositing a ball over the right field wall and putting the game to rest.
The offense didn’t seem to be feeding off that energy on Friday, but hopefully they find it again on Saturday. But still, shoutout Freddie for that incredible at-bat that helped them get the series win in San Francisco.
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