Freddie Freeman was a key part of the Los Angeles Dodgers setting a new franchise record with 111 wins during the regular season en route to capturing their ninth National League West title since 2013 and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Dodgers had lofty expectations heading into the postseason, but their journey didn’t last long as they were eliminated by the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.
“No. We just didn’t get it done,” Freeman answered when asked if anything felt different with the Dodgers during the best-of-five matchup. “I thought we had a really good team, and our regular season record showed that. They came out to play and they got us the last three games.”
The Dodgers took Game 1 of the NLDS but then dropped the next three contests. L.A. had a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning of the deciding Game 4 but squandered it when the Padres put together a five-run rally.
“It felt pretty good because our bullpen has been great all year,” Freeman said of the Dodgers’ 3-0 advantage. “You want to be perfect, but it just doesn’t happen sometimes.
“October baseball can be very brutal at some points, and today was one of those points. We came back and bounced back the last two games, but they did better than us.”
With the shocking loss, the Dodgers became the first team in MLB history to win at least 110 games but not reach the Championship Series. The mood of the clubhouse understandably was somber, and manager Dave Roberts took time to address his players.
“Doc talked,” Freeman answered when asked if anyone addressed the Dodgers clubhouse after their season came to an end. ” More of disappointment. We didn’t accomplish our goal. There’s not really much more you can say.
“You grind all year — a lot of these guys starting in February, and for me in March joining this team — and we had one goal in mind, and it didn’t happen. Just a lot of disappointment right now.”
Freddie Freeman: Dodgers’ NLDS loss set a fire
With a long offseason ahead, Freeman revealed he is going to use the next couple of days to reset and then start preparing for the 2023 season. “Yeah,” Freeman said when asked if the NLDS loss set a fire in him.
“I’ll take a couple days off and then start getting ready for next year. That’s kind of how it happens. It’s hard to answer that question right now, but I can say yes, because when you don’t accomplish your goal, you want to get right back out there.
“Usually in baseball there’s always a tomorrow. In this case, there’s no tomorrow. It’s wait four months to get back to Spring Training.”
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