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The first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.
That's what Dodger's 1st baseman Freddie Freeman accomplished just a few days ago, in game 1 of the 2024 World Series.
Freeman not only secured the Dodgers’ comeback victory over the Yankees but also etched his name permanently into the history books.
You probably knew that. But what you might NOT know about this historic moment are these 3 mind-blowing facts.
1 - Personal hardship
Just a few months ago, there was talk that Freeman could miss the rest of the 2024 baseball season.
On July 22, Freeman & his wife rushed their 3-year-old son Maximus to the emergency room where Maximus was diagnosed with rare neurological disorder. Freeman refused to leave his son's side during his hospital stay, and nobody knew how long Freeman would be gone.
Thankfully, Maximus' health is now improving.
Freeman was able to return to the Dodgers, but his troubles didn't stop there. It was followed by a hairline fracture to his throwing hand. Then, on Sept. 26, the day the Dodgers clinched the NL West, Freeman suffered a badly sprained ankle.
But despite being in near constant pain, Freeman refuses to give anything less than his best.
2 - From Batting Tee to Grand Slam
According to Freeman, he starts EVERY DAY with 15 to 20 swings off the batting tee. During his tee routine, he typically only works on balls on the outer half of the plate. If he does work on the inside pitch, which is rare, his goal is to hit it down the middle or opposite corner.
3 - Freeman never works on pulling the ball
You might say, "Wait, his walk-off grand slam was pulled... what do you mean he never works on that?"
According to the lefty hitting Freeman:
"I'm just trying to hit at the shortstop so it makes me stay inside the ball... sitting inside the ball makes me backspin a lot more balls.
That's why I do not like to work on pulling because pulling makes you come up and around.
On inside pitches, I just let the hands react, so it's easy to pull the ball in the game when you're quick. You know it's all reaction time.
My strength is left-center and up the middle so that's what I like to work on and make sure that is secure and I can go out there and feel like I can hit a line drive left-field whenever I want."
Source: 2018 Interview with Freddie Freeman, published on the FanDuel Sports Network South
We hope you enjoyed these insights into how this historic moment in baseball came to be.
The batting tee is critical part Freeman's daily routine, and it can be for you as well.
Whether perfecting your swing mechanics or warming up for the big game, Tanner Tees has premium batting tees and other training gear you can rely on -- and enjoy using!