Freddie Freeman fell short of winning the National League batting title, which went to New York Mets’ Jeff McNeil, but he still amassed a prolific season and combined with Trea Turner to make a bit of MLB history.
Freeman (199 hits) and Turner (194) finished first and second, respectively, on the MLB hits list for the 2022 season. They became just the the sixth set of teammates in MLB history to rank first and second in hits during the same season.
Freeman and Turner are the first to accomplish the feat since Brett Boone and Ichiro Suzuki did so with the 2001 Seattle Mariners.
After three consecutive games without a hit — a first this season — Freeman went into the final day of the regular season needing to go 4-for-4 in order to win the batting title. He doubled in his first at-bat and hit a home run the next time up.
But any hope for late magic was dashed when Freeman flied out to left-center field in his third at-bat. “I knew I hit it too high,” he answered when asked if there was an initial belief a second home run had been hit.
Freeman is not one to prioritize personal accomplishments, but he was aware of the performance required to win the first batting title of his career.
“I was told, yes. I was close. I gave it a run,” Freeman said with a laugh after the Dodgers’ 6-1 win.
Meanwhile, Turner put together a 2-for-4 effort that also included a home run. It was an encouraging development considering Turner had been on a downward trend for several weeks.
Freeman, Turner and Mookie Betts each scored at least 100 runs and had a minimum of 100 hits this season.
Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner join Andre Ethier & Matt Kemp in Dodgers history
Freeman and Turner additionally became the first pair of Dodgers teammates with at least 100 RBI in the same season since Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp in 2009.
“It was really good to see those guys get to the century mark,” manager Dave Roberts said.
“I think it’s the first time in probably a decade that two Dodgers have done it, so for those guys to do it in the same game, it’s certainly some solace for Freddie in the sense that it didn’t work out with the batting title.
“But still had a tremendous season with 100 runs and 100 RBI, and Trea the same. They’ve had tremendous years. As far as going into the postseason, we’re going to need their experience and leadership.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
