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Freddie Freeman Defends Decision to Steal Base on Sprained Ankle

There was plenty of doubt over whether Freeman would even play on Saturday.

Josh Wilson

Freeman grabs his ankle after initially injuring it in September
Freeman grabs his ankle after initially injuring it in September / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman was an unexpected addition to the lineup for Game 1 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres after spraining his ankle in late September, which created pessimism from the Dodgers that he would be able to play. His prospects for seeing playing time are complicated further since Shohei Ohtani, recovering from UCL surgery, occupies the designated hitter role for the Dodgers full-time.

Nevertheless, Freeman started Game 1 and had a productive 2-for-5 outing. He admitted after the game that he would be a true day-to-day for the foreseeable future, but for someone seemingly hobbled, he did well. Perhaps most surprising, Freeman stole a base on the sprained ankle.

Given the risk of being thrown out or worse, injured further, it might seem ill-advised to even attempt such a move given the ailment, which the Padres are surely aware of, but Freeman had a noble reason for doing so that he explained in a postgame interview with Ken Rosenthal:

"If I can't play the game the right way then I shouldn't be out there," Freeman said, matter of factly. He let out a hearty laugh when asked about the stolen base, as if to say he, himself, was surprised he was able to do it. "I think I got lucky," he said.

It might be trickier to steal a bag the rest of the series for Freeman, who will probably be kept more honest after he showed he's willing to run, hurt ankle or not.

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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

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