Last year, World Series MVP Freddie Freeman (36), who led the Los Angeles Dodgers to victory, missed a game due to a bizarre injury. He sprained his ankle after slipping while entering the shower.

Freeman missed the home game against the Atlanta Braves on the 1st (Korean time). According to local media via MLB.com, Freeman slipped while entering the shower at home last weekend and injured his right ankle, and he rested for the game that day as a precaution.

The right ankle that Freeman injured is the area he underwent surgery on after last season. On Sept. 27, during a game against the San Diego Padres, his right ankle was twisted while he was running to first base after hitting a ground ball in the seventh inning, resulting in a sprain that required a minimum of four weeks for recovery.

Although it seemed uncertain for the postseason due to difficulties in running properly, Freeman went ahead and played. Despite not being in peak condition and experiencing struggles leading up to the Championship Series, he made a comeback in Game 1 of the World Series with a walk-off grand slam, a first in history.

By hitting home runs in four consecutive games through the fourth game, he led the Dodgers to the World Series championship and earned MVP. A month later, he underwent surgery to remove the vitreous body from his right ankle, and this latest incident caused pain to resurface after he slipped in the bathtub.

Fortunately, he avoided a major injury. Dave Roberts, the Dodgers manager, said, "Freeman had a minor accident while trying to shower. His leg was slightly swollen, but the condition has improved," and noted, "Freeman said he could play, but we decided to give him time to recover until today and check his condition tomorrow (2nd). In most cases, he struggles to play in games."

Freeman is an icon of diligence in Major League Baseball and has consistently played over 140 games each season since becoming a full-time major leaguer in 2011, totaling 11 seasons. He played all 162 games in two seasons. From 2018 to last year, he missed only 16 games over the past seven years. Even on the day the Dodgers secured the division championship last year, he was so disciplined in managing himself that he wouldn't even bring champagne to his lips the next day for the game.

However, this year he has already missed three games early in the season due to injuries. He missed the two-game opening series against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on the 18th and 19th of last month due to left rib pain. He returned for the home opener in the U.S. against the Detroit Tigers from the 28th to 30th of last month, where he had 3 hits and 2 home runs in 12 at-bats with 4 RBIs, posting an OPS of 1.083, but missed another day due to this bizarre injury.

Although Freeman was absent, there was hardly any impact on the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 3 with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts, but Kiké Hernández, who filled in as first baseman in place of Freeman, hit a pivotal home run in the sixth inning. The Dodgers defeated Atlanta 6-1, with 9 hits including Teoscar Hernández's lead-off two-run home run in the first inning. The Dodgers have now tied for the longest opening streak in franchise history with six consecutive wins since 1981.

Meanwhile, Freeman drew criticism from Korean fans for his controversial comments before the Tokyo Series, saying, "I expect this to be 10 times better than last year in Korea (Seoul Series)." He meant that he was looking forward to this series much more due to the presence of many Japanese players, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki (all Dodgers), as well as Shota Imangawa and Seiya Suzuki (both Cubs), but it was a remark that showed a lack of consideration for the Korean fans who cheered for him a year ago.

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