Freddie Freeman already has amassed a statistically-impressive 2023 season, but his second year with the Los Angeles Dodgers could end up becoming even more historic.
Freeman, who previously reached 200 hits for the first time in his career, now is on the precipice of becoming the first player in MLB history with 60 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season.
Freeman hit his 29th home run of the season in the third inning on Friday night, and legged out a 59th double in the sixth to help the Dodgers start their final series with a 6-2 win over the San Francisco Giants.
During a postgame interview with Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA, the 34-year-old acknowledged he would like to make MLB history but is more focused on the Dodgers finishing the season with 100 wins:
“Obviously that would be cool. But if it happens, it happens. It’s just a number. I just want to win another game to get to 100. If it happens, it’s great. I’m not really trying to do it, but hopefully I do.”
Freeman further expanded that also more important than achieving another personal milestone is getting a better feel at the plate before the Dodgers begin the National League Division Series:
“I’ve played this game a long time, so I can push things off to the side and stuff like that. I just want to have a good, quality at-bat. That’s the thing. It would be one thing if I was feeling good, but I haven’t been feeling that good at the plate, so I’ve been trying to work on getting my timing down, and working up through the middle and left-center. All three balls I got today were two rollovers and a home run. Really working hard. That’s what I’m trying to do right now, just get my swing ready for next weekend.”
Freeman enters play on Saturday batting .334/.412/.572 with 102 RBI and a career-best 23 stolen bases to go along with the aforementioned 59 doubles and 29 home runs.
Freeman is part of the Dodgers establishing a franchise-first of four players with at least 100 RBI in the same season. The group also includes Mookie Betts (106 RBI), Max Muncy (105) and J.D. Martinez (103).
Freddie Freeman records
As it currently stands, Freeman holds the all-time Dodgers record for most doubles in a season. It previously belonged to Frederick, who hit 52 doubles for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1929 season. Freeman’s 50th double broke the L.A. Dodgers record, which belonged to Shawn Green.
Freeman’s 90 extra-base hits this season is good for most in L.A. Dodgers franchise history. The all-time Dodgers record is Gabe Herman’s 94 extra-base hits in 1930. The L.A. record previously was 84, shared by Shawn Green (2000) and Cody Bellinger (2019).
Furthermore, Freeman’s 131 runs scored are the most in L.A. franchise history as well. That broke Maury Wills’ L.A. Dodgers record of 130 runs scored during his 1962 National League MVP season.
Lastly, earlier this month Freeman became the only first baseman in MLB history with 200 hits, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in one season. He also is just the third player all-time with at least 200 hits, 50 doubles, 25 homers and 20 steals, joining Alfonso Soriano (2002) and Chuck Klein (1932).
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