Freddie Freeman reveals how Shohei Ohtani played big role behind historic World Series Grand Slam: "I wanted to see how Nestor Cortes pitched to him” 

For his entire career, Freddie Freeman has been a fastiduous student of the game. The MVP of the recent World Series, the first baseman shared how his baseball IQ made all the difference.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night, Freeman recounted the run-up to his walk-off grand slam in Game 1. Freeman revaled that his thought-process ahead of his slam against Nestor Cortes was to watch Shohei Ohtani's past at-bats against the Yankees pitcher:

"I wanted to see how he pitched to Shohei, a lot of cutters and sliders away. You know, I am just gonna move my sights closer to me, and be on the fastball on the inside part of the plate, and he threw it right where I was looking."

In his career against Nestor Cortes, Shohei Ohtani was 2-for-12 with an RBI against the New York Yankees pitcher. Freeman, also a leftie, was sure to observe what had gone wrong and anticipate that Cortes would challenge him early.

Freeman homered in six straight games going back to his 2021 World Series win with the Atlanta Braves. After hitting four homers and 12 RBIs in the five games of the 2024 World Series, Freddie Freeman was named the World Series MVP. Freddie Freeman's grand slam was the first of its kind to walk off a game in World Series history.

"You guys remember when WS MVP Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam in GM 1 of the World Series?" - JP

Although Freeman stole the show in the postseason, Shohei Ohtani's regular season was one for the ages. Apart from leading the NL in OPS, SLG and on-base percentage, Ohtani became the first player to hit 50 homers and swipe 50 bags.

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Winning a World Series in his backyard is extra special for Freddie Freeman

Not only did Freddie Freeman put the Dodgers on his back during the 2024 playoffs, but he did so on home turf. Born and raised in nearby Villa Park, California, Freeman attested to his teammates after the victory:

"It seems like we hit every speed bump possible over the course of this year, and to overcome what we did as a group of guys, it's special. This is what we start out to do every single spring training is to win a championship. I think it's the hardest thing to do in sports because you just never know what's going to happen."

Whatever the future holds for the 35 year-old, his 2024 World Series performance won't be forgotten anytime soon.