Freddie Freeman added another line to his October ledger Tuesday night, and this one stands alone in MLB playoff history.
The Dodgers first baseman drove a solo shot to center in the top of the fourth inning against Atlanta left-hander Chris Sale, pushing Los Angeles ahead 3-0 in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. It was Freeman’s eighth lefty-on-lefty home run in postseason play, the most by any left-handed hitter against a left-handed pitcher in playoff history.
Freeman’s swing came against the team where he spent the first 12 seasons of his career, making the moment even bigger on a night when Los Angeles leaned on its veteran star in familiar territory. The Dodgers went on to win 3-1, grabbing a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series and moving within one victory of ending Atlanta’s season.
Freeman has kept producing all year in Los Angeles, hitting .288 with a .362 on-base percentage and a .792 OPS during the regular season. He also finished with 16 home runs while remaining a steady presence in the middle of the lineup.
The 2024 World Series MVP already owns a decorated resume, too. Freeman is a three-time Silver Slugger winner, took home a Gold Glove in 2018 and was named National League MVP in 2020.
Now the Dodgers are in position to keep rolling. They can close out the Braves with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday in Atlanta. If Atlanta extends the series, Game 5 would be played Friday in Los Angeles.
For now, Freeman’s record-setting homer has Los Angeles one step away from another NLCS trip, which would be its third straight.
In Other News...
Braves Just Made A Desperate Lineup Bet In A Must Win Game
Michael Harris II is at the top of the Braves lineup for an upcoming playoff game against the Dodgers, a clear sign Atlanta is leaning into a different look as it tries to keep its season moving. Ronald Acua Jr. is back in right field, giving the Braves their usual jolt in the outfield and another piece of star power in a matchup where every tweak matters.
Los Angeles is answering with its own changes, putting Mookie Betts back in the leadoff spot and sliding Shohei Ohtani into cleanup. The game will also have a different voice on the call, with Brandon Gaudin filling in for Joe Davis, but the bigger focus is on how both clubs have shuffled their cards for a postseason game that already feels loaded with pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Are Suddenly One Loss From A Brutal Dodgers Exit
The Braves had chances early, but they could not cash in against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and that left them chasing the game for most of the night in a 3-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. Chris Sale gave Atlanta five innings and allowed three runs, but the combination of missed opportunities and a dominant outing from Yamamoto, who struck out 10 over seven innings, tilted the series back in Los Angeles favor.
Now Atlanta heads into Game 4 facing elimination, with Tyler Mahle expected to take the ball as the margin for error disappears. The Braves have already put themselves in a difficult spot by dropping behind 2-1, and the next game will ask them to do what they have not done enough of so far in the series: turn early traffic on the bases into the kind of breakthrough inning that can keep their postseason alive. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Exposed A Costly Dodgers NLDS Problem
Miguel Rojas night in Game 3 of the NLDS ended early, and it added another layer of uncertainty to a Dodgers lineup already trying to keep pace with the Braves. Los Angeles said the veteran infielder was taken out because of low back pain after fouling a pitch in the eighth inning, with the issue apparently dating back to an earlier play when he was fielding a ground ball in the fifth.
For Atlanta, any hit to the Dodgers infield depth is the kind of opening a postseason opponent watches closely. Rojas has long been valued for the steadiness he brings on defense and the flexibility he gives Los Angeles, so the bigger concern now is not just whether he can finish the series, but whether the Dodgers have to rethink how they manage the rest of their postseason roster if the back issue lingers. [Read more 🡒]