David Freese
Encyclopedia
David Richard Freese is a third baseman
for the St. Louis Cardinals
of Major League Baseball
. A star high school player, Freese chose not to play college baseball
in his freshman
year of college, but returned to the game a year later. With the Cardinals, Freese won the 2011
NL Championship Series MVP Award
and the 2011
World Series MVP Award.
, Freese was raised in the Greater St. Louis area and he grew up a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. He graduated in 2001 from Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri
. Freese recorded a Lafayette-record .533 batting average
and 23 home runs during his senior season. He was considered to be the best shortstop in the state.
As a senior in high school, Freese was offered a scholarship to play college baseball
for the University of Missouri
team, but, feeling burned out, decided instead to quit the sport. He enrolled at the University of Missouri
, where he studied computer science and pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon
.
During the summer after his freshman
year, Freese worked for the Rockwood School District
maintenance department. When he visited Lafayette High School towards the end of the summer, he realized how much he missed baseball. Freese asked Tony Dattoli, the coach at St. Louis Community College-Meramec
, for a roster spot.
In the 2004 season at community college, Freese hit .396 with 41 RBIs and 10 home runs and was named to the NJCAA All-America second team. Dattoli recommended Freese to Steve Kittrell
, the head coach of the Jaguars
baseball team at the University of South Alabama
. At South Alabama, opposing teams respected his hitting ability; scouts told their pitchers: "Don't let Freese beat us." In 2005 as a junior, Freese hit .373, with a .443 on-base percentage (OBP), .525 slugging percentage (SLG), and 52 runs scored
in 56 games. He was seventh in the Sun Belt Conference
(SBC) in average and led the school one year after Adam Lind
had done so. Freese was even better in 2006, hitting .414 with a .503 OBP and .661 SLG with 73 runs and 73 RBI in 60 games. He won the SBC batting title and also led the conference in RBI. He tied for 9th in NCAA Division I in RBI, was 12th in average and just missed the top 10 in runs scored. He made the All-Conference team at third base and was named SBC Player of the Year. He was named an American Baseball Coaches Association
All-American as the top third baseman in NCAA Division I, ahead of Evan Longoria
and Pedro Alvarez, among others. Kittrell considers Freese to be the best player he coached at South Alabama, where he also coached Lind, Luis Gonzalez and Juan Pierre
.
, the Boston Red Sox
attempted to sign Freese for $90,000. However, South Alabama made the College World Series
regional playoffs, which extended their season past the pre-draft signing deadline.
Freese was drafted by the San Diego Padres
in the ninth round (273rd overall) of the draft. Freese played for the Eugene Emeralds
, Fort Wayne Wizards
and Lake Elsinore Storm
in the San Diego farm system in 2006 and 2007. He batted .379/.465/.776 with 19 runs and 26 RBI in 18 games for the Emeralds and .299/.374/.510 with 44 RBI in 53 games for the Wizards in 2006. Freese batted .302/.400/.489 for the Storm in 128 games during the 2007 season. He scored 104 runs and drove in 96. He ranked seventh in the California League
in OBP, seventh in RBI and tied with Tony Granadillo
for third in runs. He made the California League All-Star team. However, the Padres had third basemen Chase Headley
and Kevin Kouzmanoff
as well, potentially blocking Freese's path to the majors. As a result, Freese began to practice as a catcher
.
Before the season, Freese was traded by the Padres to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds
. He spent the season in Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds
, where he batted .306/.361/.550 with 26 home runs and 91 RBI. He led Pacific Coast League
third basemen in fielding percentage (.967) and double plays (26).
on the the disabled list
at the beginning of the season. Freese made his Major League debut on Opening Day
of the 2009 season, coming off the bench and hitting a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Cardinals' home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates
. Freese was expected to be the team's starting third baseman, but was quickly passed over by Brian Barden
and Joe Thurston
. He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on April 20, 2009 to make room for newly acquired reliever Blaine Boyer
. He later had surgery to repair a left ankle injury that hampered him during spring training. He was activated and assigned to Double-A Springfield in late July with plans to later assign him to Memphis. He was recalled in the September call-up on September 23, 2009. Freese played only 17 games for the Cardinals in 2009, in addition to 56 games for Triple-A Memphis.
Freese began the 2010 season
as the Cardinals' starting third baseman. However, he suffered a right ankle injury in June. This injury required him to have two ankle surgeries and ended his season after 70 games.
Mark McGwire
, who helped him refine his stroke.
, he drove in 4 runs against Philadelphia in Game 4 to force a fifth game. In the National League Championship Series
(NLCS) against Milwaukee, Freese had a .545 batting average, hit 3 home runs, drove in 9 runs, and scored 7 runs. He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player
. Through Game 3 of the World Series
against Texas, Freese had a 13-game postseason hitting streak, a Cardinals record and just two short of matching the all-time National League record. The hitting streak was snapped in Game 4.
In Game 6 of the World Series
, with Texas leading, 3 games to 2, Freese came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, with two out and two men on base. With a count of one ball and two strikes, Freese hit a two-run triple
to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the 11th inning, again with two strikes, Freese hit a game-winning lead-off, "walk-off"
, solo home-run to deep center field (420 feet), to send the World Series to its first Game 7 since 2002
. Freese joined Jim Edmonds, the man he was traded for, as the only players in Cardinals history to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run in the postseason.
In Game 7 of the World Series, Freese hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning, bringing his 2011 postseason RBI total to 21, an MLB record. The Cardinals went on to win the game and the series, making Freese a World Series champion for the first time. For his efforts, Freese was named the World Series MVP. He became the sixth player to win the LCS and World Series MVP awards in the same year. Freese also won the Babe Ruth Award
as the postseason MVP.
in Maryland Heights, Missouri
, a suburb of St. Louis. Freese blew a .232, which is nearly three times the state's legal limit of .08. It was the second such arrest for Freese, who was also arrested in November 2002 in Maryland Heights for driving while intoxicated. The 2009 arrest was a violation of Freese's probation, due to a September 2007 arrest for resisting arrest (amongst other charges) in Lake Elsinore, California.
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. A star high school player, Freese chose not to play college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
in his freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
year of college, but returned to the game a year later. With the Cardinals, Freese won the 2011
2011 National League Championship Series
The 2011 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the winners of the 2011 National League Division Series, the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, against each other for the National League championship and the right to be the league's representative in the...
NL Championship Series MVP Award
League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award
The second round of the Major League Baseball post-season is known as the League Championship Series . This series has a best-of-seven playoff format, and currently follows the Division Series, in which the three division champions and one wild card team from each league play against each other...
and the 2011
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
World Series MVP Award.
Early life
Born in Corpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, Freese was raised in the Greater St. Louis area and he grew up a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. He graduated in 2001 from Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri
Wildwood, Missouri
Wildwood is a third-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in far western St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,517....
. Freese recorded a Lafayette-record .533 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and 23 home runs during his senior season. He was considered to be the best shortstop in the state.
As a senior in high school, Freese was offered a scholarship to play college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
for the University of Missouri
Missouri Tigers baseball
The Missouri Tigers baseball team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I college baseball.-Head coaches:-Year by Year Record:*Through the end of the 2008 season.-Conference Membership History:*1891–1928: No conference...
team, but, feeling burned out, decided instead to quit the sport. He enrolled at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
, where he studied computer science and pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
.
During the summer after his freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
year, Freese worked for the Rockwood School District
Rockwood School District
Rockwood School District is in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States.The Rockwood School District is St. Louis County's largest public school system, serving about 22,000 students....
maintenance department. When he visited Lafayette High School towards the end of the summer, he realized how much he missed baseball. Freese asked Tony Dattoli, the coach at St. Louis Community College-Meramec
St. Louis Community College-Meramec
St. Louis Community College-Meramec campus is located in the suburb of Kirkwood, MO. Meramec is the largest community college in Missouri with over 12,000 undergraduate and transfer students. Along with the main campus in Kirkwood, Meramec operates one satellite campus in South St...
, for a roster spot.
In the 2004 season at community college, Freese hit .396 with 41 RBIs and 10 home runs and was named to the NJCAA All-America second team. Dattoli recommended Freese to Steve Kittrell
Steve Kittrell
Steve Kittrell is the head baseball coach at South Alabama. He owns a career record of 1022-616-1 record in 25 seasons at South Alabama. He started his career as the head baseball coach at Niceville High School in Florida where he posted a 35-15 record in 2 seasons...
, the head coach of the Jaguars
South Alabama Jaguars
The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are...
baseball team at the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
. At South Alabama, opposing teams respected his hitting ability; scouts told their pitchers: "Don't let Freese beat us." In 2005 as a junior, Freese hit .373, with a .443 on-base percentage (OBP), .525 slugging percentage (SLG), and 52 runs scored
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in 56 games. He was seventh in the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
(SBC) in average and led the school one year after Adam Lind
Adam Lind
Adam Alan Lind is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He was drafted in the third round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft and was signed on June 30, 2004. He was first drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round of...
had done so. Freese was even better in 2006, hitting .414 with a .503 OBP and .661 SLG with 73 runs and 73 RBI in 60 games. He won the SBC batting title and also led the conference in RBI. He tied for 9th in NCAA Division I in RBI, was 12th in average and just missed the top 10 in runs scored. He made the All-Conference team at third base and was named SBC Player of the Year. He was named an American Baseball Coaches Association
American Baseball Coaches Association
The American Baseball Coaches Association is a baseball coaching organization formed in 1945. It is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level.-History:...
All-American as the top third baseman in NCAA Division I, ahead of Evan Longoria
Evan Longoria
Evan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...
and Pedro Alvarez, among others. Kittrell considers Freese to be the best player he coached at South Alabama, where he also coached Lind, Luis Gonzalez and Juan Pierre
Juan Pierre
Juan D'Vaughn Pierre is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws left-handed....
.
Minor leagues: 2006–2008
Prior to the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft2006 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2006 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 6 and 7. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.-First Round Selections:...
, the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
attempted to sign Freese for $90,000. However, South Alabama made the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
regional playoffs, which extended their season past the pre-draft signing deadline.
Freese was drafted by the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
in the ninth round (273rd overall) of the draft. Freese played for the Eugene Emeralds
Eugene Emeralds
The Eugene Emeralds is a minor league baseball team in Eugene, Oregon, United States. They are a short-season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been a farm team of the San Diego Padres since 2001....
, Fort Wayne Wizards
Fort Wayne Wizards
The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the San Diego Padres, that plays in the Midwest League. They won their first Midwest League Championship in 2009.-History:...
and Lake Elsinore Storm
Lake Elsinore Storm
The Lake Elsinore Storm is a minor league baseball team in Lake Elsinore, California, USA. It is a Class A - Advanced team in the California League, and is a farm team of the San Diego Padres. The Storm plays its home games at Lake Elsinore Diamond...
in the San Diego farm system in 2006 and 2007. He batted .379/.465/.776 with 19 runs and 26 RBI in 18 games for the Emeralds and .299/.374/.510 with 44 RBI in 53 games for the Wizards in 2006. Freese batted .302/.400/.489 for the Storm in 128 games during the 2007 season. He scored 104 runs and drove in 96. He ranked seventh in the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
in OBP, seventh in RBI and tied with Tony Granadillo
Tony Granadillo
Antonio J. Granadillo is an infielder who is currently a free agent.-Professional career:...
for third in runs. He made the California League All-Star team. However, the Padres had third basemen Chase Headley
Chase Headley
Chase Jordan Headley is a major league baseball player currently playing for the San Diego Padres. He plays third base, and formerly played left field. He is a switch-hitter...
and Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kevin Kouzmanoff is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent.Kouzmanoff had trouble with various sports in high school. He got special help for batting practice, just to learn how to swing a bat for three years, implementing a swing...
as well, potentially blocking Freese's path to the majors. As a result, Freese began to practice as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
.
Before the season, Freese was traded by the Padres to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds
Jim Edmonds
James Patrick "Jim" Edmonds is a former American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds...
. He spent the season in Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds
Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds are the Triple-A minor league baseball affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They play their home games at AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The stadium's capacity is 14,320. They entered the Pacific Coast League as an expansion team in 1998, and were owned as a...
, where he batted .306/.361/.550 with 26 home runs and 91 RBI. He led Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
third basemen in fielding percentage (.967) and double plays (26).
Early MLB career: 2009–2010
Freese emerged as a potential starter when an injury seemed likely to put Cardinals starting third baseman Troy GlausTroy Glaus
Troy Edward Glaus is a Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman who is currently a free agent. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels , Arizona Diamondbacks , Toronto Blue Jays , St. Louis Cardinals , and the Atlanta Braves . Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA...
on the the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
at the beginning of the season. Freese made his Major League debut on Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
of the 2009 season, coming off the bench and hitting a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the Cardinals' home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. Freese was expected to be the team's starting third baseman, but was quickly passed over by Brian Barden
Brian Barden
Brian David Barden is an American professional baseball infielder for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball. He has played as a second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop.-Early life:...
and Joe Thurston
Joe Thurston
Joseph William Thurston is an American professional baseball utility player for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball. He has previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, St...
. He was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on April 20, 2009 to make room for newly acquired reliever Blaine Boyer
Blaine Boyer
Blaine Thomas Boyer is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played for the Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, and New York Mets.-Baseball career:...
. He later had surgery to repair a left ankle injury that hampered him during spring training. He was activated and assigned to Double-A Springfield in late July with plans to later assign him to Memphis. He was recalled in the September call-up on September 23, 2009. Freese played only 17 games for the Cardinals in 2009, in addition to 56 games for Triple-A Memphis.
Freese began the 2010 season
2010 Major League Baseball season
The 2010 Major League Baseball season began Sunday, April 4, when the Boston Red Sox defeated their long-time rivals, the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees at Fenway Park, 9–7; the regular season ended on October 3. The 2010 All-Star Game was played on July 13 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim...
as the Cardinals' starting third baseman. However, he suffered a right ankle injury in June. This injury required him to have two ankle surgeries and ended his season after 70 games.
Breakout season: 2011
Freese was projected to start the 2011 season and did so. He started off the year batting over .320, but was hit by a pitch that fractured his left hand, and missed 51 games (about two months). After returning to the starting lineup, he finished the season with a .297 batting average, 10 home runs, and 55 RBI. He recorded hits in eight of the final nine regular-season games. Freese credited his improvement in power hitting to hitting coachCoach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
, who helped him refine his stroke.
2011 postseason
In his first playoff series2011 National League Division Series
The 2011 National League Division Series were two best-of-five playoffs comprising the opening round of the Major League Baseball postseason, played to determine the participating teams in the 2011 National League Championship Series. Three divisional winners and a fourth team—a wild card—played...
, he drove in 4 runs against Philadelphia in Game 4 to force a fifth game. In the National League Championship Series
2011 National League Championship Series
The 2011 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the winners of the 2011 National League Division Series, the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, against each other for the National League championship and the right to be the league's representative in the...
(NLCS) against Milwaukee, Freese had a .545 batting average, hit 3 home runs, drove in 9 runs, and scored 7 runs. He was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player
League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award
The second round of the Major League Baseball post-season is known as the League Championship Series . This series has a best-of-seven playoff format, and currently follows the Division Series, in which the three division champions and one wild card team from each league play against each other...
. Through Game 3 of the World Series
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
against Texas, Freese had a 13-game postseason hitting streak, a Cardinals record and just two short of matching the all-time National League record. The hitting streak was snapped in Game 4.
In Game 6 of the World Series
2011 World Series
The 2011 World Series was the 107th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion St...
, with Texas leading, 3 games to 2, Freese came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, with two out and two men on base. With a count of one ball and two strikes, Freese hit a two-run triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the 11th inning, again with two strikes, Freese hit a game-winning lead-off, "walk-off"
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
, solo home-run to deep center field (420 feet), to send the World Series to its first Game 7 since 2002
2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
. Freese joined Jim Edmonds, the man he was traded for, as the only players in Cardinals history to hit an extra-inning walk-off home run in the postseason.
In Game 7 of the World Series, Freese hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning, bringing his 2011 postseason RBI total to 21, an MLB record. The Cardinals went on to win the game and the series, making Freese a World Series champion for the first time. For his efforts, Freese was named the World Series MVP. He became the sixth player to win the LCS and World Series MVP awards in the same year. Freese also won the Babe Ruth Award
Babe Ruth Award
The Babe Ruth Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of the World Series, one...
as the postseason MVP.
Personal Life
In December 2009, Freese was arrested for DWIDWI
DWI is an acronym which means:* Driving while intoxicated, see Driving under the influence* Driving while impaired* Danish West Indies* Diffusion-weighted imaging, a technique used in magnetic resonance imaging* Drinking Water Inspectorate...
in Maryland Heights, Missouri
Maryland Heights, Missouri
Maryland Heights is a second-ring west-central suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was elected the city's first mayor. Mark M. Levin has been City Administrator...
, a suburb of St. Louis. Freese blew a .232, which is nearly three times the state's legal limit of .08. It was the second such arrest for Freese, who was also arrested in November 2002 in Maryland Heights for driving while intoxicated. The 2009 arrest was a violation of Freese's probation, due to a September 2007 arrest for resisting arrest (amongst other charges) in Lake Elsinore, California.