Freddie Freeman’s title as the reigning World Series MVP is now in jeopardy as the Dodgers head north of the border in preparation for Game 1 of the World Series on Friday at Rogers Centre.
Freeman had an unbelievable run in last year’s Fall Classic against the New York Yankees. He was still nursing a sprained right ankle which held him back offensively and availability wise in both the NLDS and NLCS, but he hit home runs in four straight against the New York, highlighted by an iconic walk-off grand
slam to win Game 1. This time around, the series will be more personal, as he will be facing the only Canadian team in MLB, starting the series in the homeland of both his parents.
Freeman spoke to reporters on Monday via Zoom, where he discussed the opportunity to play the most meaningful games in his parents’ native country.
“It is special. My parents were born and raised in Canada, especially within the province of Ontario— my mom from the Toronto area, Dad from Windsor. Every time I go there, you just have this feeling inside that I’ feel just a little bit closer to my mom.”
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Toronto Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman spoke about going to the World Series and facing a vaunted Dodgers team with a heavy payroll, where he admitted that Toronto has plenty of star power and the finances to compete with them, per Ian Harrison of the Associated Press.
“We’ve got a lot of guys making a lot of money, too,” a beer-soaked Gausman said after Toronto won its first pennant in 32 years by beating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 on Monday night in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. “It’s two really good teams. It’s going to be some really good baseball,” Gausman said. “A lot of big names, obviously.”
Michael Conforto has not seen an inning of action since the regular season finale against the Seattle Mariners back on Sept. 28, and the lack of playing time mixed with the lack of trust from the coaching staff has made Conforto eager for the opportunity to provide for the team, notes Mike Puma of the New York Post.
“I am just trying to enjoy this experience and soak it all in and trying to stay ready if they need me in this series or the next one,” Conforto told The Post before the Dodgers beat the Brewers 3-1 in Game 3 of the NLCS. “But definitely not being on the roster is motivating, so I have some things I have to work on and go into the offseason and take care of those things and we’ll see what happens.”
Singer Michael Bublé is a proud Blue Jays fan, but Shohei Ohtani uses his song “Feeling Good” as his walk-up song. Bublé has encountered a personal crossroads in his fandom, as he discussed with Stephen A. Smith on the latter’s show the feeling of having who he considers arguably the greatest player to ever play step up to the plate with his song blaring throughout the stadium.
