Back in past due June, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been a trifling 18 video games over .500 earlier than getting into a series with the Braves in Atlanta. That marked Freddie Freeman’s go back after signing with LA within the offseason, which used to be a widely-documented saga because the second he’d left the group he spent the former 15 years with.
In an sudden twist, that weekend birthed extra drama than somebody may just’ve imagined. From Freeman being dropped at tears a couple of occasions — all over the pregame presser, whilst receiving his World Series ring, and earlier than getting into the batter’s field for the primary time — to Doug Gottlieb’s faulty file, to Braves enthusiasts in truth believing Freeman used to be unsatisfied in LA, to Clayton Kershaw’s quote, it in reality did really feel for a 2d there just like the Dodgers could be distracted past restore.
Out of all of the ones occurrences, Kershaw’s phrases have been the only factor without delay in the case of the group that would’ve brought about actual friction a number of the Dodgers. Everything else used to be both conjecture, social media nonsense, or unrelated to the group altogether.
Kershaw publicly pointing out that he was hoping the Dodgers weren’t “second fiddle” to the Braves in Freeman’s eyes used to be, whilst nitpicked out of a bigger paragraph that had type intentions, nonetheless reputedly one thing that had to be addressed.
After that series in Atlanta, Freeman addressed Dodgers professionals, his teammates, and spoke to Kershaw in my view about the whole lot. From that time on, LA couldn’t had been in a greater position.
Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and Freddie Freeman talked after the Braves series in June
Here’s what Kershaw informed Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (subscription required):
“’I think I’d be the first to admit that I probably didn’t give him enough of a pass as I probably should,” Kershaw mentioned final month, recalling the ones feedback. “That was my fault that it even got out there like that.’
It opened the door for a conversation that Kershaw called ‘eye-opening.’
‘Our relationship got a lot better after that (talk),” Kershaw mentioned. “I think there were some unintended good consequences that came out of that. I didn’t mean for anything, any of that to happen. But I think it was great for me, and I hope for him too.’”
While it may be adverse to attract such consideration to the Dodgers in what used to be already a dramatic state of affairs, this in truth will have been a blessing. It turns out Freeman and Kershaw had a candid dialog about the entire ordeal, which used to be tricky and complicated for everybody, together with Freeman.
Since taking that three-game set in Atlanta, the Dodgers went 66-25 to complete out the season. That used to be the most productive mark in baseball, which resulted in the most productive document (111-51) in baseball, and essentially the most wins within the NL in over a century.
Had Kershaw now not mentioned the rest, had Freeman now not felt the want to discuss to him, there may just’ve been much more resentment boiling beneath the outside that affected the group in tactics no person may just’ve predicted. Instead, the whole lot used to be put out within the open and the Dodgers ran via MLB, striking themselves in the most productive place conceivable to take at the Braves another time earlier than the Fall Classic.
Don’t sweat it, people. The Dodgers are First Fiddle now.