Freddie Freeman fell just short of winning the National League batting title but still enjoyed an outstanding regular season with the Los Angeles Dodgers by many standards.
The six-time All-Star led MLB with 199 hits and batted an overall .325/.407/.511 with 47 doubles, 21 home runs, 100 RBI, 117 runs scored and 13 stolen bases in 159 games.
“Regular season, I think so,” Freeman answered when asked if he accomplished everything he wanted in his first season with the Dodgers. “My goal usually every year — I don’t say it out loud — but it’s hit .300, 100 runs scored, 100 RBI and a .900 OPS.
“To be able to check off all those in my first season with the Dodgers, and to set a franchise record in wins, I don’t think you could ask for more.”
With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, Freeman has shifted his focus to the NL Division Series. “The first tournament is over, and now the big tournament starts,” he began.
“No one cares what your numbers were or how many wins you had. Starting Tuesday, it’s first one to 11.”
As the Dodgers awaited their NLDS opponent, Freeman was confident the team organizing intrasquad games would help players keep sharp. “Just try to treat it as real games and get yourself as ready as you can for Tuesday,” he said over the weekend.
Freddie Freeman not overlooking Padres in NLDS
The Dodgers went 14-5 against the Padres and shattered the franchise record for most wins, among other accomplishments in 2022, but Freeman is well aware that is largely moot come October.
“Like I’ve been telling you guys for two weeks, no one cares that we won 111 games or what the head-to-head matchups were during the season,” Freeman said Monday.
“It’s what you can do tomorrow, the next day, and the next day. So I don’t know the specific reason. I think we just played really good baseball from start to finish this year.
“When you play against your division rival, it’s not just the Padres, the Giants, everyone in the division, you have to play a little bit better because you know you can gain ground real fast in those situations. So I don’t know that there’s a rhyme or reason for why we played so well, but it needs to continue.”
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