World Series MVP Freddie Freeman Was Reportedly Playing Through Multiple Serious Injuries

We knew that Dodgers star Freddie Freeman was playing through an ankle injury, but we didn't know that he was also playing through rib problems.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) is interviewed after winning the 2024 MLB World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Oct 30. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Heading into the World Series, we knew that Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman was playing through an apparently serious ankle injury. What we didn't know is that he was also playing through a serious rib injury.

Per Jeff Passan of ESPN:

A day later, Oct. 4, after Freeman finished a news conference in which he declared himself ready to play despite the ankle injury, he retreated to the batting cage at Dodger Stadium. He wanted to take some swings in preparation for a live batting-practice session. His side tingled with each of his first dozen swings. On the 13th swing, Freeman felt a jolt through his body and crumbled to the ground.

Unable to even pick himself off the floor, Freeman was helped into the X-ray room next to Los Angeles' dugout. The results were inconclusive, and around 9:30 p.m., he received a call. The Dodgers wanted him to drive to Santa Monica for more imaging. He hopped in the car, then in an MRI tube. Around 11:30 p.m., the results arrived: Freeman had broken the costal cartilage in his sixth rib, an injury that typically sidelines players for months.

"Dad, I'm never going to stop."

It wasn't just Freddie Freeman's ankle. He won World Series MVP playing with broken rib cartilage.

The incredible inside story of the Dodgers' World Series win -- and what Freeman went through -- free and unlocked at ESPN: https://t.co/T4ZcWtWS6N

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 31, 2024

Though Freeman had a hard time breathing at that time, he was able to play in the Fall Classic, making history along the way. His 12 RBIs in the series are the most of any Dodger to ever play in a World Series and are tied for the most of any player in any World Series. The Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-1 in the series.

Freeman earned the World Series MVP Award becoming one of a handful of players to win a World Series MVP Award and a league MVP in the same career.

He hit a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 and then homered again in Games 2, 3 and 4. He went 1-for-4 in the Game 5 clincher.

This is the second World Series title for Freeman, having also won the championship in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves.

The 35-year-old Freeman hit .282 for the regular season with 22 homers and 89 RBI. One of the most productive players of the last decade, he's a lifetime .300 hitter with 343 home runs.

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