Dodgers Star Freddie Freeman Joins Elite 2,500 Hit Club
Freddie Freeman just cemented his legacy, etching his name into baseball history with his 2,500th career hit during the Los Angeles Dodgers' dominant 12-to-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. We are witnessing a true great in real time, as Freeman stands alone as the only active player to achieve this remarkable milestone. Entering this series against the Pirates, the seventeen-year veteran was just two hits shy of this significant mark.
This monumental achievement came in the seventh inning, a frame that saw the Dodgers explode for ten runs. Freeman lined a crucial RBI single to center field off rookie pitcher Brandan Bidois, capping off the offensive onslaught and reaching the 2 thousand-hit plateau. He shared his reflections, stating that while he might have thought about it a decade ago, reaching this milestone now carries a profound sense of appreciation. Over the course of a grueling one hundred sixty-two game season, he explained, there is little time to reflect on such accomplishments, making this moment exceptionally special and deeply meaningful.
Looking at the broader landscape of baseball history, Freeman is now in an exclusive club, with Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros being the only other active player with a chance to join him this season. Altuve, also thirty-six years old and in his sixteenth season, currently stands at two thousand four hundred thirty hits, trailing Freeman. Behind them, Andrew McCutchen, recently designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers, holds two thousand two hundred eighty hits and Paul Goldschmidt, first baseman for the New York Yankees, is fourth with two thousand two hundred twenty-seven hits.
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Freeman's milestone-hitting single was his sixty-ninth of the current season, placing him on a pace to surpass one hundred sixty hits if he maintains his health and productivity. This impressive pace not only highlights his continued excellence but also positions him strongly to pursue the hallowed ground of three thousand career hits. The Dodgers clubhouse celebrated the occasion with a brief toast, with many teammates encouraging him to aim for that next major benchmark.
Freeman himself acknowledged the calls for more, humorously stating that his teammates told him he'd better get five hundred more hits. He expressed a desire to reach three thousand, but with only one year remaining on his current contract and four children at home, he admitted the future remains uncertain. Despite these considerations, the likelihood of teams vying for his talent in 2028 seems very high. Mookie Betts, Freeman's Dodgers teammate and shortstop, who himself has one thousand seven hundred ninety-one career hits, emphasized the difficulty of achieving such a hit total in today's game, praising Freeman's continued strong performance.
Freeman's current statistics further underscore his enduring skill. His forty-six point four percent hard-hit rate in the current season places him in the seventy-fifth percentile and his expected weighted on-base average, or xwOBA, is in the eighty-third percentile. He recently indicated to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic his intention to play three more seasons after the current one, though he noted the recent birth of his daughter could potentially alter those plans. Freeman has consistently viewed himself as a hitter focused on maximizing his own capabilities, embracing his identity rather than chasing trends like launch angles and this steadfast approach has clearly served him incredibly well.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates faced a challenging night against the Dodgers, who boast the National League's best record at forty-two wins and twenty-four losses. Los Angeles is second in Major League Baseball in runs scored and leads the league in runs allowed, boasting the best run differential in baseball. Their pitching staff also leads MLB in WHIP, opponent batting average and earned run average. This formidable challenge was evident as the Pirates struggled, particularly rookie pitcher Paul Skenes, who has been experiencing a recent slump. Skenes has not secured a victory since May twelfth and over his last four starts, his earned run average has climbed to three point zero nine, with three losses and a no-decision. External factors like spotty defense and a shaky bullpen have contributed, but Skenes has also given up twenty-five hits, six walks and eleven earned runs in his last twenty innings. The Dodgers, with their potent offense led by stars like Shohei Ohtani, exploited these vulnerabilities. Stay with Mirror 7 News for all updates as they happen.
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