Backstage Dodgers Season 6: David Freese Goes Home

today marks a homecoming for 11-year veteran David Freese the 35 year old infielder grew up in the st. Louis area before being drafted by the Padres in 2006 a year later the Cardinals traded for Freese still a minor league prospect at a time giving him the opportunity to eventually play for his hometown team [Music] well st. Louis is a funny place so any time there's an athlete that makes it from st. Louis everybody takes note and when the Cardinals got him from the Padres organization even if he didn't have great numbers even if he wasn't a regular season hero everybody was always aware of David Freese though Cardinals fans had high expectations injuries limited freezes playing time and potential during his first three major league seasons [Music] but by the 2011 postseason freeze was healthy and ready for the spotlight first and third to the Cardinals and freeze launches one the left back is heroes can come from anywhere they're the guys who get hot and contribute while the other part of the lineup gets so much focus from the opposing team and fries offered that kind of element fries in the right back his Corey Hart that balls well he'd got a chance and it goes David Freese continues with the power back against him Milwaukee Brewers in the LCS and they couldn't get him out there's another base hit David Freese just keeps racking him up David Freese was just for me the definition of clutch in 2011 and even when everybody knew he was the hottest bat in the lineup he was still doing damage that's hard to do and it didn't seem to matter who was pitching didn't seem to matter the situation and I think with as much star power and firepower as there was in that lineup it started to feel like you kind of wanted freeze up before anybody else going into that World Series if you were a Cardinal fan in a 2011 World Series the Cardinals were facing elimination in the ninth inning of Game six there they were down to their final strike two on two-out David Freese up you believe the end of the World Series is coming right now what I remember is the the Rangers players were starting to jump over the railing already they were already celebrating I think it was like a one two count if Dali was throwing 100 miles an hour and just nasty [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and Nelson Cruz and right wasn't deep enough and it goes for a two-out two-run to strike triple and the ball game is tied [Applause] [Music] it's marvelous every time he came to the plate we knew something special was about to happen of course this guy gets another crack at it after tie in the game in the ninth inning full count pitch on the way David Freese becomes an instant hero if he wasn't already forgiving the Cardinals life a win and a chance to win the World Series the next night think it's honestly about opportunity I have I don't even know how many at-bats in the postseason but a couple hundred maybe that's a lot of opportunities to do some cool things and you're gonna come through you know every now and then I guess and you know I've had some big moments [Applause] those moments continued in a Cardinals game seven victory when Freese drove in two more runs and was named World Series MVP seven years later Freese got an opportunity to help a different franchise make a postseason run I didn't really know if I was gonna get traded or not and then it ended up happening kind of the top of the hour to be in LA and be a Dodger and kind of understand what that history is all about the tradition just kind of pours into you you walk in you see the names all over the clubhouse and you can't be anything but jacked up to be a part of that two out top of the sixth and David Freese coming up to pinch-hit I think David Freese has proven multiple times he is a postseason clutch player [Applause] please we're so fortunate to have him on our side and his experience and his leadership and just the professionalism that he brings on a daily basis is something that you know I look up to I envy and it's just a great sounding board to have be back and it is a leadoff home run for David free I'm glad I was with this team when the season ended I think it it allowed myself the Dodgers to kind of get to know each other see what we're all about and they wanted me back and I obviously wanted to come back here [Music] batting sixth number 25 first baseman David Freese of so many of the October heroes for the Cardinals stayed with the Cardinals and when they returned they returned wearing red coats or they returned to throw a ceremonial first pitches here's a guy who returns as an opposing player and so the Cardle fans get this moment every time he comes to the plate to thank him because they really can't thank him enough he showed it in 2011 he's shown it in his postseason career he's one of those guys on any roster even today in 2019 that you say game on the line I feel good with David Freese walking to the plate takes this one to deep left field that he comes home to be here to put on this Jersey to have the chance to win to be around this group that wants to push and wants to do it it's a great feeling

Channel: Los Angeles Dodgers

Views: 176,302

Rating: 4.8996234 out of 5

Keywords: MLB, Major League, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers Productions

Id: P7VovTbjd1M

Length: 7min 18sec (438 seconds)

Published: Thu May 02 2019