'Borderline miracle': Teammates in awe of Freeman's sacrifice

NEW YORK -- A couple hours before Game 1 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers’ lineup was set. Kiké Hernández was going through batting practice and was expecting to play third base, sliding Max Muncy over to first base.

Nursing a badly sprained right ankle, Freddie Freeman was expected to sit. But before the Dodgers made their lineup official, Freeman popped out of the home dugout and went through his pregame drills. He limped through high knees and looked uncomfortable running down the first-base line.

“No chance,” said shortstop Miguel Rojas, when asked if he thought Freeman was going to suit up for that game against the Padres. “I had it [at] like 5%, especially the way he got here [that afternoon]. I don’t think anybody expected him to play. It was a borderline miracle.”

For most people, that would’ve been the case. After all, Freeman is playing through a bone bruise and a sprain that probably should sideline him for four to six weeks. But Freeman, who has always taken pride in playing every game, went to manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and let them know they could put him in the lineup.

“I told Charlie, ‘I don’t know if Daddy is going to be able to play today,’” Freeman said, referencing a conversation he had with his son.

As the postseason goes on, Freeman’s status will continue to be a game-time decision. Roberts says Freeman will always be in the starting lineup, until he’s not. But as he limps all over the field, Freeman continues to give the Dodgers everything he can, posting a .273 average in six games.

“I think we all believe that if you sacrifice something, then it means more,” Roberts said. “He’s sacrificing his body right now. He’s doing a lot that people don’t know about to stay on the field. And so, when he’s doing that, it means more to him.”

The days have been long for Freeman. Since suffering the sprain on Sept. 26, he has basically lived in the trainer’s room. On game days, Freeman has been showing up hours before everyone else. The first step is to try and decrease the swelling, which is getting increasingly more difficult as he continues to play through the injury.

Once the trainers and Freeman work on that for hours, the Dodgers’ star first baseman then takes his recovery process out to the field. He goes through his pregame drills as much as he can. He takes a couple of ground balls at first base and tries to simulate breaking to the bag. It never looks good. But it looks good enough.

“What he’s doing for us has been unbelievable,” Muncy said. “You can’t ask a guy to go out there and put his body on the line every single night like that. I know it’s the playoffs, but what he’s doing has been Gladiator-style for us. We definitely appreciate it.”

Every time Freeman steps onto the field, his teammates are amazed. But before Game 4 of the NLDS, as the Dodgers faced elimination against the Padres, it was Los Angeles’ turn to repay Freeman for his efforts. Freeman wasn’t physically capable of playing in back-to-back games.

“We all told Freddie, ‘We got you,’” Muncy said. “Then, we showed up in [Game 5] and he said, ‘Don’t worry, guys. I got you tonight.’’’

In Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Mets on Saturday, it was another Freeman moment that galvanized the Dodgers. As Muncy dropped a single into center field, Freeman -- who was on second base -- knew the importance of getting a second run across. He rounded third and headed home. As he has said throughout this process, he won’t play if he can’t do it the right way.

When he stepped on home plate, Freeman made sure to do it with his left foot, an unnatural movement for him. Given that he can barely run, he also wasn’t able to put on the brakes after scoring. He barged into Mookie Betts, who hugged Freeman to stop his momentum.

“Luckily, I lift weights and I was able to hold him,” Betts laughed. “He’s giving us everything he has. I was just there to support him. It’s amazing what he’s doing right now.”

The two superstars embracing in that moment is an image that will live for a long time, especially if this team secures the Dodgers’ first full-season World Series title since 1988. It perfectly describes how talented the club is, but also the sacrifice one of its stars is making when it matters most.

“Every day, it seems to start at right where I was the previous day. It’s kind of hard to play through it because it never goes away,” Freeman said. “It kind of keeps getting worse. But right now, I don’t feel anything -- so maybe we should just keep winning.”