There are two excellent the reason why Freddie Freeman didn’t pull the second-base bag out of the bottom and hoist it over his head like Rickey Henderson after the Dodgers first baseman notched his career-high twentieth stolen base within the seventh inning of Monday night time’s 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.
The primary was that Freeman was initially dominated out by umpire Dan Bellino on catcher Jake Rogers’ one-hop throw, leaving no time for spontaneity. It was solely after the decision was overturned by replay assessment that Freeman grew to become simply the eleventh first baseman in main league historical past to hit at the very least 20 homers and steal 20 bases in a season.
The second was that as spectacular as Freeman’s feat is for a 34-year-old first baseman who’s hardly fleet of foot, it was solely the 86th stolen base of his 14-year profession, leaving him 1,320 baggage shy of Henderson’s all-time report of 1,406 stolen bases, set from 1979-2003.
“He’s removed from Rickey so far as that class,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts, an completed base-stealer himself throughout his enjoying days, stated jokingly after the sport, “nevertheless it’s nonetheless fairly the milestone.”
Which is why Freeman, who’s placing collectively one other MVP-caliber season after successful the Nationwide League Most worthy participant award with the Atlanta Braves in 2020, felt like Henderson on the within.
“That is one factor I by no means thought I’d do in my profession, so it was fairly cool,” stated Freeman, who topped his earlier excessive of 13 stolen bases in 2022. “Lots of credit score has to go to [first-base coach] Clayton McCullough. A lot work goes into it earlier than video games, selecting up patterns on pitchers, conditions of when to go and to not go.
“First basemen normally aren’t velocity demons. Like, my dad simply texted me, he goes, ‘Quick sufficient.’ The Freemans aren’t recognized to be very quick. However I simply attempt to choose the appropriate conditions to go. I do preserve myself in OK form to run, so hopefully I can preserve doing this for a bit of bit.”
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman beats the tag of Tigers second baseman Andy Ibáñez to steal second base on Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
Stolen bases are means up this season after the scale of the bases was elevated and pitchers have been restricted to 2 pick-off makes an attempt or “disengagements” per plate look, so Freeman figured to profit from baseball’s new guidelines.
However Freeman, who takes delight in being essentially the most well-rounded participant he will be, has improved his baserunning through the years, as evidenced by his success fee (20 for 21) on stolen bases this season and his team-leading 124 runs.
“He’s scored [124] runs this yr, and that speaks to the baserunning and the power to get on base, steal second, go first to 3rd — he’s pretty much as good as I’ve ever seen,” Roberts stated. “The item of the sport is to attain extra runs than the opposite workforce. His run manufacturing and creation is unimaginable.”
Freeman’s stolen base put him in place to attain an insurance coverage run on a two-out RBI single by J.D. Martinez, who hit a solo house run within the second inning and a three-run shot within the third off Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who invoked his no-trade clause to nix a possible deal to the Dodgers on Aug. 1.
Freeman’s determination to take off on an 0-and-2 pitch by reliever José Cisnero, who acquired forward of Martinez with a pair of 96-mph fastballs, was rooted in intuition and preparation. He swiped second on an 88-mph, down-and-away cut-fastball.
“In that scenario, he went heater, heater, so it’s 0-2, and [Cisnero] was 1.3 to 1.35 seconds to house plate,” Freeman stated. “Two outs, and I do know he desires to go for a strikeout. I figured he was gonna go a bit of bit slower, and I didn’t assume he’d go three straight heaters to J.D. I banked on an off-speed pitch within the backside a part of the zone, and it turned out to be proper.
“Lots of guys can simply run each time as a result of they’re quicker. However for me, I attempt to choose the conditions, do my work earlier than the sport with Clayton, attempt to do the perfect I can to assist the workforce win, and stealing 90 toes typically is what I can do.”
Freeman entered Tuesday night time’s sport in opposition to the Tigers with a .335 common, .983 on-base-plus-slugging proportion, 26 homers, 196 hits, a significant league-leading 55 doubles and 93 RBIs.
He’s the fourth participant with at the very least 25 homers, 50 doubles and 20 stolen bases in a season, becoming a member of Grady Sizemore (2006), Alfonso Soriano (2002) and Chuck Klein (1932). With 4 extra hits, he’ll develop into the one first baseman in baseball historical past to build up 200 hits, 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in a single season.
“Man, it’s an exclamation [point] to an incredible season,” Roberts stated. “For a primary baseman to [steal 20 bases] after which probably get 200 hits, it’s by no means been finished. For him to achieve that milestone goes to be fairly particular.”
