World Series: Freddie Freeman wins MVP award after tying record with 12 RBIs for Dodgers

NEW YORK (AP) — When the World Series started, it was hard to figure what Freddie Freeman would be able to provide for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He left no doubt about the MVP winner.

Freeman broke records by homering in the first four games and matched a Fall Classic mark with 12 RBIs to power the Dodgers past the New York Yankees for their second championship in five years.

“That means there was a lot of my teammates on base,” Freeman said after being presented with the World Series MVP award, named in honor of Willie Mays. “I'm glad I was able to get hot at the right time.”

The popular slugger delivered yet again Wednesday night with a two-run single off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in a five-run fifth inning that helped rally Los Angeles to a clinching 7-6 victory in Game 5.

Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson also drove in 12 runs in 1960 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won the championship that year on Bill Mazeroski's famous homer that ended Game 7.

Freeman compiled his total in just five games against New York, setting several World Series standards along the way.

The 35-year-old first baseman homered in each of the first four games, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat. The streak began when he launched the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history to win a dramatic opener in Los Angeles.

Freeman's two-run drive in the first inning Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium made him the only player to go deep in six consecutive Series games, dating to the 2021 title he won with Atlanta.

He was robbed of an extra-base hit in the fourth inning of Game 5 when Aaron Judge made a sensational catch of his long drive while crashing hard into the fence.

But the MVP award put a joyous cap on a scary and trying season for the Freeman family. Freeman missed eight games in July and August after his 3-year-old son, Maximus, fell ill while watching his father at the All-Star Game festivities in Texas.

When the family returned home, Max was hospitalized and put on a ventilator after he experienced partial paralysis and breathing difficulty. He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré, the rare neurological condition that affects the immune system, nerves and muscles.

Max’s condition gradually improved, and Freeman returned to work Aug. 5. He was welcomed back by a huge ovation from Dodgers fans that prompted tears from Freeman.

“I wish I’d never had to go through what we did as a family. But ultimately Maximus is doing really, really well right now. He’s a special boy, but it has been a grind for three months. It really has. It’s been a lot,” Freeman said.

“Then obviously with the injuries at the end, it makes it all worth it kind of in the end. I’ll never compare Maximus to baseball. I won’t. It’s just two separate things, but with him doing really well now, it does mean a little bit extra.”

Freeman batted .282 this season with 22 homers and 89 RBIs. An eight-time All-Star and the 2020 NL MVP with Atlanta, he is a .300 career hitter with 343 homers, 1,232 RBIs and an .899 OPS in 15 major league seasons. He has hit .300 or better eight times.

Freeman sprained his right ankle on Sept. 26 against San Diego while trying to avoid a tag at first base by Luis Arráez and missed the Dodgers’ last three regular-season games. He didn’t have any RBIs in the NL Division Series against the Padres and only one in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.

Freeman missed three games during the NL playoffs because of his ailing ankle. He didn’t play in the NLCS finale against the Mets and had six days off entering the World Series, allowing time for the ankle to feel better.

“I did a lot of work in between the NLCS and the World Series. Thankfully, my ankle got into a good spot where I could work on my swing, and I found a cue that really worked for me," he said. “I was able to slow things down. All you’re trying to do is swing at strikes, take balls, and hit the mistakes. Thankfully, I was able to do that for five games.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts puts Freeman on his Mount Rushmore of favorite players along with teammate Mookie Betts.

“He’s got gratitude, the desire to play every day, to know that this is a job and your job is to play and you’ve got to maximize your value — that’s by playing,” Roberts said Tuesday. “He’s my favorite player to be around as far as what he does for the culture of the organization.”

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Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates with the MVP trophy after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates with the trophy after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates after the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates with the MVP trophy after their win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman tosses the ball during batting practic before Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman waits to hit during batting practice before Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge catches a fly ball by Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman during the fourth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge catches a fly ball by Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman during the fourth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman, right, runs toward home plate to score against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman hits two RBI single during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman hits two RBI single during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman reacts after scoring against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts (50) and Freddie Freeman (5) celebrate after scoring against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman watches his two-run single against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates after scoring on a double by Teoscar Hernández during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

BARRIO DE LA TORRE, Spain (AP) — Moments after rushing waters burst through the door to her home, Mari Carmen Pérez received a text message alert from regional Spanish authorities warning her of the possibility of flash floods.

By the time Pérez's phone buzzed, the water has already gushed into her kitchen, living room and bathroom, forcing her and her family to flee upstairs.

“They didn’t have any idea of what was going on,” Pérez, a 56-year-old cleaner, said Thursday by phone from Barrio de la Torre in Valencia. “Everything is ruined. The people here, we have never seen anything like this.”

She was one of the lucky ones. More than 150 people died, many trapped in cars or the ground floor of their homes, when storm-fed riverbeds burst their banks and swept through dozens of localities on the southern outskirts of Valencia city.

The massive number of dead — easily making the floods the worst natural disaster in Spain in living memory — has raised questions about how this could happen in a European Union country that excels in public safety.

As rescuers continued to pull bodies from the mud and debris Thursday, anger also began to grow among the families and friends mourning lost loved ones and many more thousands whose livelihoods have been shattered by the deluge. The streets were full of people walking to procure basic supplies with their cars ruined and the streets undrivable because of the mud and debris.

The Valencian regional government is being criticized for not sending out flood warnings to mobile phones until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, when the flooding had already started in some places and well after the national weather agency issued a red alert indicating heavy rains.

Valencia regional President Carlos Mazón, of the conservative Popular Party, defended his administration’s management of the crisis, saying “all our supervisors followed the standard protocol” that was coordinated by Spain’s central government.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that regional administrations are responsible for sending alerts to warn the population of possible flooding and other natural disasters.

Mazón is also under fire for his announcement at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday that the storm front would “lose strength” by 6:00 p.m. The opposite occurred.

The size and violence of the extreme weather event was shocking and extremely difficult for any administration to prepare for and predict. But Valencia, on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, has a history of autumn storms that produce floods, albeit at a smaller magnitude than this monster of a storm.

Spain’s national weather agency had alerted officials and the public via its website and social media on Sunday, two days before the tragedy struck, that there was a 70% chance of torrential rain ahead.

The agency then issued a red alert, the highest level of warning, for bad weather as early as 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning as the disaster loomed.

Andreu Salom, mayor of the Valencian village of L’Alcudia, told national broadcaster RTVE that his town lost at least two residents, a daughter and her elderly mother who lived together, and that police were still searching for a missing truck driver.

He complained that he and his townsfolk had no warning of the disaster that struck when the Magro River overflowed.

“I myself was on my way to check the river level because I had no information,” Salom said. “I went with the local police but we had to turn back because a tsunami of water, mud, reeds and dirt was already entering the town.”

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

People clean their houses affected by floods in Utiel, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Vehicles are seen piled up after being swept away by floods on a motorway in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

People pick up goods in a supermarket affected by the floods in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A woman cleans her house affected by floods in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Two people push a cart loaded with belongings in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)