Dodgers clinch NL West, but Freddie Freeman exits with injury

Freddie Freeman was seen in a walking boot and smiling. The very instant that assured and all but guaranteed themselves another National League West title and a first-round bye for the Los Angeles Dodgers back, a seventh-inning two-run single by Mookie Betts who one this Thursday further extended the lead of the game from the dugout, was when Freddie Freeman twisted his right ankle, which is always a scary ordeal for a player who is of importance at this critical time of the year.

However, X-rays did not show any issues related to structural integrity. Freddie Freeman will likely make it back in time for the playoff games.

It is appropriate to secure the victory under these circumstances.

“There is always some kind of overcoming of a lot of adversity to achieve this,” Freddie Freeman commented. After their seventh-inning stretch. “I bet I would do everything possible to prepare myself.”

Freddie Freeman: Dodgers clinch NL West

The Dodgers saw how the seasoned and talented Padres team walloped the series opener on Tuesday with an ending dramatic with a triple play and afterward jumped into the Dodger Stadium bunker lying at the enemy’s position. Still, they bounced back to take the next two, thanks to a solid Walker Buehler and crucial swings from Betts and Shohei Ohtani on the last game of the set.

When, Michael Kopech, the new star closer, got Padres Ky Higashioka with the last out of nine innings hitting a wind-up. The rest of the Denver Dodgers needed to celebrate their fifteenth ‘W’ of the season and top the NL West for the twelfth time in thirteen years.

It is hard to say which one is sweeter, but I tell you, man, given what we’ve been through this year this feels a tick sweeter,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I’m just so proud of my guys. The way that we’ve been able to handle the obstacles that were thrown at us. How we’ve come together and won this division once again. It was not an easy road and we do not take it for granted. Today kind of summarized our year – coming from behind and just like never say die, grinding, hustling, forcing our way to win.”

Freddie Freeman exits

The Dodgers are not a team that shrinks from pressure, and they knew when they went out and acquired Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Teoscar Hernandez with a big offseason, that they had placed a bigger bull’s eye on themselves. By the All-Star Brea though, they had a whopping 15 of their players on the disabled list, the highest in the major leagues. Right after, the division rivaled other teams by contrast’ the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks moved up the division leaderboard.

Yamamoto, Betts, Clayton Kershaw, Max Muncy, Blake Treinen, and Brusdar Graterol all missed extended time. However, the Dodgers never allowed themselves to be behind in the standings within the NL West division. They only finished with an 11-13 record in July, but then went on a 19-8 run in August. Whenever it appeared that they could be exposed to defeat, they fired back. Whenever it appeared that the pressure on them was too much for them to handle, they delivered.

Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman observed, “We like high expectations. We welcome them. It beats the s— out of the alternative.” ”People care, they are engaged with the Dodgers. “‘They expect a lot. Which is what we expect too’. ‘In our opinion, that is very positive. This is stage one for us. This is what we spoke about at the beginning of ST. The Gibraltar to the first round was to win the division and put us in a position to get the bye. We have achieved that. And now the ultimate goal is in sight. We have to try as much as we can to help us get the bed of 11 victories We need to run out all activities aiming to put us in a position of winning 11 games.”

Dodgers clinch NL West

In the past two years, the Dodgers avoided playing in the wildcard round as they finished among the top two Division winners, only to fall to a division … Padres in 2022, and D-backs in 2023 in the divisional playoffs. They will enter October this year with some starting pitching issues that are quite similar to what they encountered last October. Glasnow and Gavin Stone are already out; as for Kershaw he apparently won’t be available in the first round. After the trade deadline, it will be necessary to depend on a new joining Jack Flaherty who will have to lead the team along with Yamamoto, who had a shoulder issue and has been out of the team for three months.

But if Buehler can pitch like he did Thursday – which was where he gave up a single run on five hits in five very economical innings with nary a strikeout in the game – it is fair to assume that the Dodgers will commence the playoffs with a quite strong three men pitching rotation.

Will Smith, the catcher for the LA Dodgers, said: “That was important: that he had to come through. And he did.”

Until the 7th inning, when Smith belted a 2-run shot to even the game, the Dodgers had no score against Joe Musgrove. Four hitters later, Ohtani poked a grounder through the right side and put the Dodgers ahead 3-2. It was the tenth hit in eleven bats with RISP for him which pushed his month’s line to a solid .545/.615/1.273 in that situation.

Freddie Freeman exits with injury

In fact, over the last seven matches which started from Ohtani’s historic performances to earn the 50/50 record, Ohtani has managed to hit five home runs and drive in 15 with 7 SBs and three walks for an impressive 20 for 29. As Ohtani focuses on the postseason for the very first time in his career, it is in the circumstance of RBIs that he begins to shine more than the club officials expected of him.

“Ohtani expressed via an interpreter barrier that it was a wonderful sensation to take part in his first clinch,” It was. “I make aspirations that I will be able to do it one more time and pop champagne.”

When the Dodgers started pouring champagne in their clubhouse Freddie Freeman was seen with crutches. He injured his ankle while trying to step away from Padres’ first baseman Luis Arraez’s tag. His first move post-injury was to the dugout for X-rays which fortunately showed no sign of fractures or dislocation.

“My ankle looks like a grapefruit,” Freddie Freeman said. “But I am optimistic. We have nine days before the division series starts and I hope I’ll be ready.” Freddie Freeman will remain in LA for treatment and miss the last games of the regular season while Colorado awaits the rest of the team.

“Once they get the fluid out,” Freddie Freeman said, “I should be able to go.” Roberts added – “I am just grateful that he is going to have a week off.”