Dodgers' Freddie Freeman hits home run again in Game 4, setting two World Series records – Orange County Register

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK — One day, Freddie Freeman will look back on that World Series tear and shake his head in disbelief.

Just like everyone else.

Freeman broke two Series records on Tuesday when he hit another home run for the Dodgers in Game 4 against the New York Yankees.

The first baseman blasted a two-run shot to right field in the first inning for the second straight time, becoming the first player to reach deep in the first four games of a Fall Classic. The streak began with his walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1.

“Pretty cool, obviously,” said Freeman, who dealt with a lingering ankle injury early in the postseason. “Hopefully I can continue tomorrow.”

Freeman was also the only player to hit a home run in six consecutive World Series games since the 2021 championship he won with Atlanta against Houston.

“I feel good,” he said. “In the time I was able to work on my swing, I found evidence that my ankle was feeling better. And I actually saw the ball very well. They make mistakes and I was able to eliminate them.”

Freeman's latest drive wasn't enough on the night, however, as the Yankees averted a four-game sweep with an 11-4 win. The Dodgers lead the series 3-1 and need one more win for their second championship in five years and the franchise's eighth overall.

George Springer pitched in five consecutive Series games for the Astros from 2017 to 2019. He joins Freeman as the only batters to hit in four straight games during a World Series, doing so in Games 4 through 7 in 2017 against the Dodgers before hitting another home run in the 2019 opener against Washington.

The only other players to hit a home run in the first three games of a World Series were Yankees outfielder Hank Bauer (1958) and San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds (2002).

Freeman added a third run Tuesday night when he went all out in the fifth to prevent a potential inning-ending double play, a call at first base that was overturned after a replay challenge.

“You saw me flying down the line tonight,” Freeman said with a smile.

That gave him 10 RBIs in the Series, third-most for any player in a Fall Classic and two more than the previous Dodgers record shared by Hall of Famers Duke Snider (1952) and Gil Hodges (1956).

Bobby Richardson holds the major league mark with 12 for the Yankees in a loss to Pittsburgh in 1960.

After a one-out double by Mookie Betts, Freeman hit a 2-and-1 slider from rookie starter Luis Gil over the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium for his 14th career postseason home run.

The ball landed in the front row of seats, just left of the 314-foot sign in the corner, and a pumped-up Freeman shouted excitedly toward the Dodgers' dugout as he rounded the bases.