NEW YORK—Amid the roar of a joyful Los Angeles Dodgers event in Yankee Stadium, LA majority user Magic Johnson summed up the team’s seventh World Series victory—and Freddie Freeman’s responsibility in it: When superstars play like superstars, the basketball Hall of Famer said, that’s how you win.
After the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5, Johnson described Freeman as” Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant,” in an appointment on Yankee Stadium industry.
The Dodgers have plenty of artists, including the show’s biggest global phenomenon and good regular-season MVP, Shohei Ohtani. However, Freeman’s legendary World Series achievement was what brought LA to life when the Dodgers came up from a five-run gap in Game 5 to win the series, four games to one.

Freeman, the Dodgers second baseman, overcame an at-times debilitating large right ankle sprain and was the clear World Series MVP, with four homers and a record-tying 12 RBIs in the five matches. And he was in the midst of Wednesday’s return, providing a vital two-run one in the Dodgers ‘ five-run five inning—helped along by Patriots defensive lapses—that put them back in the game.
Johnson did n’t hesitate to put Freeman in elite championship company with Jordan, Bird and Bryant. ” That’s who I compare him with”, Johnson said. On the biggest level, the final round, it was that level of dominance. Those men completed it all. I’ve never witnessed a football player act in this manner.
Aaron Judge and Aaron Ohtani were the focus of the pre-World Series publicity. The previous two off-seasons saw the biggest money deals for free agents dominate the news. However, Judge will be remembered in this line for a dropped travel basketball that sparked the Dodgers ‘ Game 5 return, Ohtani’s kept back injury that caused him to fall into minute in Game 3 and was never a factor.
The Dodgers ‘ difference between the free agent signing of Freeman in 2022 and the Mookie Betts trade in 2020 was not the difference.
Betts was traded to the Dodgers for three players after the Boston Red Sox decided they were n’t going to keep him. The Dodgers subsequently signed him for 12 years,$ 365 million.
The Atlanta Braves had defeated the Houston Astros to win the 2021 World Series, winning it by Freeman. He wanted to stay, asking for a six-year deal, but the Braves offered him only five years. He was given a six-year contract by the Dodgers, who then signed him for$ 162 million.
” We never thought we were going to get Freddie”, Johnson said. Everyone believed he was going to sign back. When it was apparent that he was n’t, ]owner ] Mark]Walter ] said,’ Let’s go get him.'”
With Betts on the roster, the Dodgers have now won the World Series twice, winning the first time since 2020 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Betts used his legs, glove, and bat in crucial plays throughout the series. When Yankees starter Gerrit Cole did n’t cover first base, he hustled down the line on a weak, two-out ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, earning an infield hit and an RBI. With a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, Betts scored the winning run.

Freeman’s impact was even bigger. With his walk-off 10th inning grand slam to win Game 1, he set the tone for the series. And he added home runs in each of the subsequent three games. Freeman faced Cole, the Yankees ace who had struggled for the first four innings, on Wednesday night right after Betts ‘ infield single in the fifth. Freeman gave up a line-drive single to center to score two runs.
” To come through in these situations, that’s what you dream about as a kid, doing that in the World Series”, Freeman said. It’s difficult to talk about right now, but I might have better answers for you once it settles in after a few days. Right now, I’m just ecstatic”.
Freeman had four days off between the conclusion of their six-game National League Championship Series victory over the Mets, giving him time to recover from his ankle injury. He was unable to play two of the final three games of the NLCS.
” I did a lot of work in between the NLCS and the World Series”, he said. ” Thankfully, my ankle got into a good spot where I could work on my swing”.
Johnson, a consummate superstar with the Lakers, pointed to Freeman’s multiple contributions to the Dodgers clubhouse culture.
” It’s not just hitting home runs and doing what Freddie does on the field”, Johnson said. He has a reputation for being an example in the locker room. He also assists the guys in their own hitting. They give him a lot of praise for how they handled things. Cookie frequently discusses that.
Johnson purchased a 2.3 % stake in the Dodgers when Mark Walter and Guggenheim Baseball Management purchased them from Frank McCourt for$ 2.15 billion in 2012. He wanted to bring the Dodgers to the 1970s and 1980s, when they regularly competed for the World Series. They’ve gone four times since the Walter purchase. The Dodgers won the title for the first time since 1988, but because of the pandemic, downtown LA was not staged.
There will be one now, thanks in no small part to Freeman. ” I ca n’t wait to see the millions of people out there”, Johnson said. I’m finally able to celebrate our victory.