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And if you need a little help before heading to the app to make your picks, we have you covered this week.
No player has hit more home runs in the postseason than Stanton with five. What’s even more impressive is that he’s hit those five in just nine games, compared to Betts who hit four and Ohtani who hit three— both playing 11 games each. Judge led all players in the regular season with 58, but has managed just two in the playoffs. This could be the series where he gets it going, but for now we like Stanton to continue his stellar play.
Prediction: Giancarlo Stanton
2. Which pitcher will have the MOST STRIKEOUTS in the World Series?
Rondon leads the postseason with 22 strikeouts, but he’s yet to face a lineup that has the offensive firepower of the Dodgers. Los Angeles is batting .251 as a team in the playoffs and launched 20 homers— the latter being seven more than the team with the next-most. For that reason, Flaherty seems like the appropriate pick here. He only has eight strikeouts this postseason, but averaged 6.93 strikeouts per game in the regular season— the ninth most of all pitchers with at least 20 games pitched this year.
Prediction: Jack Flaherty
3. Order these players by TOTAL BASES in GAME 4 of the World Series (highest to lowest):
Betts is second in the postseason in total bases at 29, and can get it done in so many different ways. He’s batting .295 in the playoffs and is one of five players with four home runs, and is also tied for the most doubles hit with four. Game 4 will take place in New York, so Stanton or Soto are smart picks here too, but it’s tough to pick against the 2018 AL MVP and two-time World Series champion.
Prediction: Mookie Betts
4. Which trio of players includes the 2024 World Series MVP?
One of the three stars for the Yankees will surely win MVP, so long as the Yankees win it all. It’s going to be a close series, but New York has the offensive firepower to match Los Angeles along with a slightly better pitching staff.
Prediction: Judge/Soto/Stanton
5. Which player will have the MOST RBI in the World Series?
Ohtani has 10 RBI this postseason and recorded over 100 RBI in the regular season for the first time since 2021. He also leads the playoffs with six hits with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers will need him to continue this pace throughout the series.
This is the first time in a full season since 2013 that the two teams with the best records in each league will meet in the World Series. Additionally, there will be five former MVPs playing in this series (Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Judge, Stanton) with another on the IL (Kershaw) for the first time in World Series history. This is truly anyone’s matchup to win, but with the first two games taking place in Los Angeles— the Yankees will have to take advantage of playing in New York in Games 3 and 4.
Prediction: Yankees
Tiebreaker: What will be the final score?
Prediction: Yankees 3, Dodgers 2
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Baseball has a rich history filled with memorable moments, but for some teams, the pursuit of a World Series title has been a long and challenging journey. From teams that are still searching for their first championship to those that haven’t won in decades, these droughts highlight the ups and downs of life in the league. Keep reading for more information about the longest active and inactive World Series droughts in Major League Baseball.
The longest world series drought ever, whether active or inactive, belongs to the Chicago Cubs, with a 107-year drought. This drought lasted from 1909 all the way to 2016, when the Cubs defeated Cleveland 4-3.
What is the longest active world series drought?
Currently, the Cleveland Guardians have the longest active world series drought, having won their last title in 1948, 75 seasons ago.
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It’s been 11 years since the top seeds in each league met in the World Series. It’s arguably been decades since the Fall Classic featured this much star power.
While the perennial All-Stars will attract most of the headlines, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers each feature deep rosters that will be needed to triumph over the other.
Taking both the regular season and this postseason into account, FOX Sports MLB experts Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar ranked the top 24 players competing in the 2024 World Series.
Unable to pitch this season, baseball’s most unique talent found another way to make history with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases. Ohtani ended the regular season with 12 hits in his last 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position, then carried that clutch production into his first career postseason, where he is 6-for-9 in those spots. He had more hits (eight) and walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven) in the NLCS and has a .934 OPS overall this October. He joined the Dodgers for the chance to win championships. Now, MLB’s grandest stage beckons. — Kavner
The top three on this list came so close in our voting that it goes to show how tight these top offenses will be in this showdown. What makes this one interesting is that Soto actually didn’t play against the Dodgers this year; he was sidelined with left forearm inflammation when they came to the Bronx in June. Soto’s absence was sorely missed — the Dodgers outscored the Yankees 17-10 in the three-game series — but his 203 wRC+ this postseason indicates he’ll make up for it in the Fall Classic. — Thosar
With the narrative of his playoff slump behind him, Judge came up big in the ALCS with a game-tying home run in Game 4, and it looks like he’s just getting started. Judge, born in Linden, California will have a ton of family, including his parents, coming to the World Series in Los Angeles. The presumptive AL MVP will want to show off at what he has described as one of his favorite places to play — after New York, that is. — Thosar
Remember when we were talking about Betts’ postseason struggles? That feels like a thing of the past now for the former MVP, whose hundreds of swings per day seem to have gotten him right. He was 3-for-44 over his previous 12 postseason games when he broke out with a homer and two hits in Game 3 of the NLDS. Now, he is hitting .342 with four homers and a 1.182 OPS over his past nine playoff games. Most importantly, he is consistently making opponents pay any time they pitch around Ohtani. There’s nowhere for pitchers to hide. — Kavner
Completing the Yankees’ problematic trifecta, Stanton turns into a different player when October rolls around because, in his words, he “wants a ring” and he isn’t going to be satisfied until he gets it. Looking at the ALCS MVP trophy and declaring that it doesn’t mean anything to him, because he wants the next one, is the kind of mentality that has carried the Yankees to the biggest stage in baseball. He homered in each of the final three games of the ALCS. Will he win the World Series MVP award next? — Thosar
The Yankees’ veteran right-hander is inarguably the best pitcher in the World Series, so it’s only right that he’s the first arm to show up in our player rankings, too. This will be Cole’s second time pitching in the Fall Classic, and his first time since Soto hit home runs off him in back-to-back World Series starts in 2019. Good thing for Cole that the generational slugger and the reigning Cy Young winner are on the same team now. — Thosar
He’d probably find his way higher than seventh on this list under normal circumstances. When Freeman sprained his ankle on Sept. 26, doctors told him it was probably a 4-6 week injury. Nine days later, he was in the Dodgers’ lineup for Game 1 of the NLDS. He gritted through the pain, missing only one game of the series and somehow posting a .353 batting average through his first five games of October. But his production halted in the NLCS, and he missed two of the final three games of the series. Is a week of rest enough to get him back to form? — Kavner
Hernández built a penchant for coming through in the biggest moments in his first season in Los Angeles, and that was never more apparent than in the NLDS, when his grand slam in Game 3 turned what should have been a rout into a nail-biter and his homer in a do-or-die Game 5 helped the Dodgers move forward. The NLCS, however, was a different story. His swing looked out of sorts while going hitless through his first five games of the series before he broke out with two hits in the Game 6 clincher. The Dodgers will have to hope that gets him going again. — Kavner
The latter arm of the Yankees’ 1-2 punch has looked much better in his outings since he managed to control his emotions on the mound after a ALDS Game 1 start that quickly spiraled out of his hands. Rodón said, back in June when the Yankees hosted the Dodgers, it crossed his mind that the meeting might be a World Series preview. He’s looking forward to facing Ohtani and going deep into his start for New York. — Thosar
How much confidence will June 7 in the Bronx give Yamamoto in the World Series? On that day, he featured his slider more than ever before and fired seven scoreless innings in his best start of his first season stateside. There was some thought, however, that the pitch might have also contributed to the shoulder strain that would sideline him soon after for nearly three months. He has not gone more than five innings since that outing, but even in short stints, he has proven this postseason to be effective. He picked the slider back up his last time out and struck out eight in 4.1 innings in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Mets. Can he replicate his success with the pitch against the Yankees again? — Kavner
At one point in the NLCS, Muncy set a new single-season postseason record reaching base 12 consecutive times up. His ability to work counts, draw walks and do damage when he gets something in the zone is maybe the best example of what makes this Dodgers’ lineup so dangerous, even beyond the MVPs at the top. After an oblique and rib issue eliminated three months of his season, he picked up where he left off prior to the injury and finished the season with an .852 OPS. Muncy led all players in the LCS with 11 walks and also homered twice. — Kavner
After a difficult second half, the playoffs have been a similar struggle at the plate for the All-Star catcher. Smith is 6-for-38 with seven walks this postseason, but he has made his hits count. He homered in the first of back-to-back elimination games for the Dodgers in the NLDS and helped send his team to the World Series with another home run in Game 6 of the NLCS, giving him a little momentum moving forward and providing a reminder that he is still one of the best catchers in baseball. — Kavner
Will the Dodgers get the version of Flaherty who tossed seven scoreless innings against the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS? Or will they get the version with diminished velocity who surrendered eight runs and didn’t strike anyone out his last time out in Game 5? The deadline addition has been a vital piece for the Dodgers’ ravaged rotation, but considering Flaherty’s importance to his team, the answer to that question could determine whether the Dodgers are celebrating their franchise’s eighth championship. — Kavner
Talk about an unsung hero. After a midseason benching for his lackadaisical play, including too many fielding errors to count at second base, Torres really turned his season around in September and hasn’t looked back. Hitting leadoff in front of Soto, Judge, and Stanton, Torres has a .832 OPS along with nine runs scored in nine playoff games this year. He’s served as a terrific tablesetter in October, when it has finally come together for the soon-to-be free agent. — Thosar
“When we got him, we said NLCS MVP or bust,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman quipped after the under-the-radar midseason addition led all players in the LCS with 11 hits and tied Corey Seager’s 2020 NLCS record with 11 RBI. When the Dodgers acquired Edman at the deadline, they couldn’t have imagined he’d be knocking in four runs in the clean-up spot in the NLCS clincher. But they did envision a versatile defender who could play multiple spots and lengthen the lineup, which is what he has done. His ability to play both center and shortstop has been crucial with Miguel Rojas banged up. The offensive production is a major bonus. — Kavner
The Yankees shortstop played in 160 games this year and his ability to post has been invaluable to the Yankees – even if his bat wasn’t where the club wanted it to be. Fortunately for New York, Volpe has looked much better at the plate in October, batting .429 (6-for-14) with a 1.029 OPS in his past four games. Even though this is all a small sample size within Volpe’s first-career trip to the playoffs, his ability to step up when the lights are brightest has mattered a great deal to this Yankees lineup. — Thosar
The Yankees reliever with a 6-foot-2, 183-pound wiry frame has suddenly become one of the most important players on the roster as the team gets ready for the NL’s most lethal offense. Having just jumped into closer duties in September and bringing four career saves into October, Weaver completed his first five appearances without a blemish. The Yankees are now betting the house on Weaver to deliver the most critical lockdown performances of the journeyman’s nine-year career to date. — Thosar
The Dodgers’ Mr. October is living up to the moniker again. A career .238 hitter known more for his ability to help defensively across the diamond, Hernández continues to transform into someone entirely different this time of year. After going deep twice this postseason, he now has 15 career playoff home runs — the same number as Aaron Judge and Babe Ruth. Albert Pujols, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are the only players in baseball history to log a higher career postseason OPS than Hernández (.889) in at least 75 playoff games. — Kavner
He’s no longer pumping fastballs in the high-90s the way he did prior to the shoulder surgery that wiped out his 2023 season, but he has demonstrated that his pitch mix can still be just as nasty a few ticks down. His sweeper-sinker pairing is one of the most effective in baseball — opponents struck out 37 times and registered just nine hits against his sweeper this year — and his ability to miss bats hasn’t been compromised in his return. He threw the final two innings to send the Dodgers to the World Series and has allowed just one run in eight innings this postseason. — Kavner
Chisholm was one of the most important trade pieces of the summer and his immediate hot start in the Bronx energized a Yankees team that was in need of a spark at the time. He remains a key glue guy in the clubhouse now, his youthful personality seemingly bringing out the best in other, quieter guys like Volpe. Chisholm has yet to find his signature moment in his third-career trip to the playoffs this year, but as one of the Yankees’ fastest runners, he’s still a threat every time he gets on base. — Thosar
As Aaron Boone noted after Rizzo returned from injury in the playoffs, the veteran first baseman has been performing even better than what the Yankees expected. Rizzo has made playing with fractured fingers look easy, and his experience on how to navigate the World Series — and win it, like he did for the 2016 Cubs — still makes him one of top players of any postseason roster this October. — Thosar
The right-hander from University Of South Carolina tends to fly under the radar on this star-studded Yankees roster, but that doesn’t make him any less consequential on a team needing these final four wins for a championship. Schmidt might even see his start day moved up to Game 2 in Los Angeles in place of Rodón, because the Dodgers hit lefties so well and Schmidt undoubtedly has the mental stamina to block out the pressures of pitching on the road. He isn’t talked about enough, but Schmidt’s many assets, including a 50% ground-ball rate this October, are essential in this race to the title. — Thosar
This was the most up-and-down season for Phillips since he joined the Dodgers in 2021 and became one of MLB’s most reliable relievers. After logging a 2.73 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in the first half, he had a 4.68 ERA and 1.32 WHIP after the break. However, Phillips ended the regular season with just one run allowed in his final six appearances and has carried that momentum into October, again serving as one of Dave Roberts’ most trusted leverage options. Phillips has not allowed a run in five appearances this postseason and is holding hitters to a .130 average, which is especially notable when he’s consistently facing the opponent’s top threats. — Kavner
The Yankees’ high-energy reliever famously used to drink five Red Bulls and two cups of coffee a day, so it’s a miracle that he’s still a viable option in this Yankees bullpen. But, more than that, Kahnle will enter his first career World Series appearance having just recorded a huge save for New York in Game 4 of the ALCS while Weaver was down. After recording a 2.11 ERA in 50 regular-season outings, Kahnle has yet to allow a run in seven innings this October, proving to be a key piece of the Yankees’ postseason puzzle. — Thosar
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in February of 2023 upon news that the Dodgers would retire Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34. That was a break from franchise tradition — the team would previously reserve such an honor for Hall of Famers — and spoke to his impact on both the team and the city of Los Angeles. Valenzuela died on Tuesday night at the age of 63.
No Dodgers player has donned the No. 34 since Fernando Valenzuela in 1990.
It was set aside informally for the past 33 years, a gesture carried on in reverence to the left-handed phenom from Etchohuaquila, Sonora, Mexico who sparked “Fernandomania” and rallied the Mexican community in Los Angeles and abroad with his scintillating play.
One of the most impactful Dodgers since the franchise moved west 65 years ago, Valenzuela seemed unfazed by the pressure when injuries to other members of the rotation forced him into an Opening Day start in 1981. The calm, precocious 20-year-old won each of his first eight games, pitching seven complete games and five shutouts. “El Toro” surrendered just two runs in 63 innings during that time, bringing fans out in flocks to witness the phenomenon.
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It’s fitting, then, even decades later, that fan persistence eventually helped convince the Dodgers to eschew tradition and permanently reserve No. 34 for Valenzuela.
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten announced Saturday that the team will retire Valenzuela’s number this summer as part of a three-day weekend celebration, beginning with a Ring of Honor ceremony on Aug. 11.
“I walk through the stands every night,” Kasten said. “I get all kinds of comments … but the question I get more than any other is about retiring Fernando’s jersey. That convinced us this is the right thing to do.”
With the exception of Jim Gilliam, who passed away suddenly in 1978, the Dodgers had followed a long-held unofficial policy of only retiring the numbers of Hall of Famers.
Now — finally — there are two exceptions to the rule.
“I was hoping that they would do it,” said Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, who served as a translator for Valenzuela during “Fernandomania” and later worked alongside him in the Dodgers’ Spanish-language booth. “I don’t know why they waited. They could have done this several years ago. But … it’s fantastic. It’s great.”
Valenzuela, a member of the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcast team since 2003, found out the news Tuesday.
He thought he was being called in to Dodger Stadium to talk about the upcoming season’s broadcast. Instead, in a meeting on the mound, Kasten informed him of the club’s decision.
“Really?” Valenzuela responded incredulously before cracking a smile. He kept the secret for the past week, allowing the Dodgers to make the announcement at their annual FanFest.
“They got me by surprise,” Valenzuela said Saturday. “But then I realized, ‘Well, I’ve been waiting for this.’ It’s the best feeling.”
For years, fans would ask Valenzuela when the team was retiring his number. He would tell them it was out of his hands. Demands only grew when the Dodgers celebrated the 40-year anniversary of Fernandomania in 2021. But he hadn’t met the team’s criteria, much to the chagrin of the Los Angeles faithful.
Valenzuela is not among the Dodger players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame — he was dropped from the ballot after earning only 3.8% of the votes during his second year of eligibility in 2004 — though he remains one of the most beloved. Fans and friends continue to support his cause.
“The things he did for the community, for baseball, I think he deserves to be in the Hall,” Pepe Yñiguez, Valenzuela’s broadcast partner, said Saturday.
Like Jackie Robinson, Fernando is among a handful of Dodgers greats who could be recognized by first name alone. The late Vin Scully once referred to Fernandomania as “almost like a religious experience.” He was a main attraction.
The Dodgers averaged 42,523 fans per game in 1981. The next closest was the Yankees at 31,654. Valenzuela’s starts were a different type of spectacle. On Opening Day, he shut out the Astros in front of 50,511 fans. By his eighth start, a group of 53,906 fans watched Valenzuela toss a complete game against the Expos on a Thursday.
Even opposing crowds grew exponentially. He drew 46,405 fans at Stade Olympique in Montreal on May 3 and 39,848 fans in a shutout win at Shea Stadium in New York five days later. The average attendance at those respective venues that season: 27,403 and 13,543.
Guided by his signature screwball — a pitch he learned from fellow Dodger Bobby Castillo to complement his fastball and curveball — Valenzuela became the only pitcher ever to win Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season. His magical season ended with a World Series title, thanks in part to his complete-game victory in Game 3 against the Yankees.
More than 40 years after the start of Fernandomania, fans haven’t forgotten the spectacle.
“If people sense his name is going to be mentioned in some way, or his picture’s going to be on the screen, right away they turn and look at my booth there looking for Fernando,” Jarrín said. “Then the applause. People love him.”
Valenzuela’s rookie season ended with 11 complete games, eight shutouts and a major-league-leading 180 strikeouts. He helped grow the game worldwide and became a cultural icon in the process, so much so that longtime clubhouse manager Mitch Poole didn’t want to give away his number after Valenzuela’s departure from the Dodgers.
Something similar had happened before. Three years before Robinson’s No. 42 was retired by the Dodgers, it belonged briefly to a reliever named Ray Lamb in 1969. Poole wasn’t going to let that mistake be replicated. As Yñiguez recalled Saturday, Manny Ramirez once asked for No. 34 after joining the Dodgers in 2008. The No. 24 that Ramirez wore with the Red Sox had already been retired in honor of Walter Alston, so his next choice was the number of his friend and former Boston teammate David Ortiz. But Ramirez understood when his request was denied.
“‘OK, I respect The Toro,’” Yñiguez recalled Ramirez saying. “‘Don’t give me that, give me 99.’”
Now, there will be no confusion. No need to skirt around the rules.
Valenzuela finished his 11-year Dodgers career with six All-Star appearances, 141 wins and one no-hitter. He ended his 17-year big-league career as the all-time leader in wins (173) and strikeouts (2,074) among players from Mexico.
Those numbers haven’t made him a Hall of Famer yet. But, at least at Dodger Stadium, his number will forever live alongside them.
“He belongs there,” Jarrín said.
Rowan Kavner covers the Dodgers and NL West for FOX Sports. He previously was the Dodgers’ editor of digital and print publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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The New York Yankees will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in this year’s World Series, and over the last 50 games their record is 25-25 when facing one another. Craig Carton, Danny Parkins, Mark Schlereth, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred discuss the matchup and how important it is for baseball.
Let’s check out the odds for World Series MVP at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Wednesday, with the Fall Classic set to begin Friday.
And don’t forget, you can catch all the action on FOX and FOX Sports App.
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World Series MVP odds:
Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: +200 (bet $10 to win $30 total) Aaron Judge, Yankees: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total) Juan Soto, Yankees: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total) Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total) Mookie Betts, Dodgers: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total) Max Muncy, Dodgers: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
If the Championship Series MVP results were any indication, the World Series MVP will be up for grabs based on who has a breakout performance.
Several times during the ALCS, Soto and Judge were atop the oddsboard, but it was Stanton that took home the hardware, after going deep in each of the last three games of the ALCS, tallying six RBIs in the process.
Dodgers vs. Yankees preview — Who will win the World Series?
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As for the NLCS, Ohtani, Betts, Muncy and the Mets’ Francisco Lindor all hovered near the top of the oddsboard, before Tommy Edman — a long shot entering the series — was eventually named the winner.
In six NLCS games, Edman racked up 11 hits, 11 RBIs and a huge two-run homer in Game 6 that eventually helped propel the Dodgers to the World Series.
Edman sits at +2500 to win World Series MVP entering the series.
If recent history meant anything, Edman might be in a good spot, considering three of the last four World Series MVPs have been shortstops, including ex-Dodger Corey Seager in 2020.
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Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million, a record high price not just for a baseball, but for any ball in any sport, the auctioneer said Wednesday.
Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball was the previous record-holder at $3 million.
Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season, reaching the milestone on Sept. 19 when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his second of three homers against the Marlins.
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“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on sports, and I’m thrilled for the winning bidder,” Ken Goldin, the founder and CEO of auctioneer Goldin Auctions said in a statement.
The auction opened on Sept. 27 with a starting bid of $500,000 and closed just after midnight on Wednesday. The auctioneer said it could not disclose any information about the winning bidder.
The auction has been overshadowed by the litigation over ownership of the ball. Christian Zacek walked out of Miami’s LoanDepot Park with the ball after gaining possession in the left-field stands. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov each claim in separate lawsuits that they grabbed the ball first.
All the parties involved in the litigation agreed that the auction should continue.
Matus’ lawsuit claims that the Florida resident — who was celebrating his 18th birthday — gained possession of the Ohtani ball before Zacek took it away. Davidov claims in his suit that he was able to “firmly and completely grab the ball in his left hand while it was on the ground, successfully obtaining possession of the 50/50 ball.”
Experience the home runs, strikeouts, close calls and more with the umpire camera from the 2024 National League Championship Series – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets.
Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican-born phenom for the Los Angeles Dodgers who inspired “Fernandomania” while winning the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year in 1981, has died. He was 63.
The team said he died Tuesday night at a Los Angeles hospital, but did not provide the cause or other details.
His death comes as the Dodgers prepare to open the World Series on Friday night at home against the New York Yankees.
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Valenzuela had left his color commentator job on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast in September without explanation. He was reported to have been hospitalized earlier this month. His job kept him as a regular at Dodger Stadium, where he held court in the press box dining room before games and remained popular with fans who sought him out for photos and autographs.
Valenzuela was one of the most dominant players of his era and a wildly popular figure in the 1980s, although he was never elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, he is part of Cooperstown, which features several artifacts including a signed ball from his no-hitter in 1990.
This is a developing story.
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“I don’t think there’s any question in anybody’s mind that I will be in the lineup for Game 1,” he said Tuesday during a Zoom news conference.
By Game 1 on Friday, Freeman will have had a week since running on his sprained right ankle in NL Championship Series Game 5 against the New York Mets.
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Of course, the final lineup decision rests with manager Dave Roberts after discussions with the front office.
The All-Star first baseman missed Games 4 and 6 of the NLCS. Freeman was 3 for 18 against the Mets after hitting .286 in the NL Division Series against San Diego.
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Freeman said he can hit and walk comfortably but his ankle flares up when he takes the first step to run. He’s been receiving hours of treatment for the first sprained ankle of his long career.
“I want to get this thing as calmed down as I possibly can, to give my best self and be ready to go by Game 1,” he said.
Freeman hurt his ankle on Sept. 26 against the Padres while trying to avoid a tag at first base by San Diego’s Luis Arráez and missed the Dodgers’ last three regular-season games.
