A Freese in October: David Freese’s Game 6 Jersey Among Artifacts on Hall of Fame Tour
It isn’t clear whether or not David Freese dreamed of Cooperstown, N.Y., when he was a child in Wildwood, Mo. He may have never seen the bat Carlton Fisk used to hit his walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, or the helmet Bill Mazeroski wore when he hit the first walk-off home run in the history of Game 7 of the World Series.
But in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, Freese wrote his name in the record books like few others have when he launched a walk-off home run to center field in the 11th inning, allowing the Cardinals’ championship dreams to live to see Game 7.
“He’s just got it,” Lance Berkman would later say to ESPN. “I don’t know exactly what ‘it’ is. But he’s got it. He’s one of those players who can perform when it matters most. He may not always come through, but the moment is never bigger than he is.”
“If we lose tomorrow night, then this just becomes a nice footnote in history,” Berkman elaborated. “If we win tomorrow night, then this becomes a pretty big deal.”
The Cardinals won Game 7, and with that, one of the greatest World Series games ever played became more than a “footnote,” and Freese became a living legend.
It was a moment that every aspiring baseball player dreams of – with a game-tying triple in the ninth, and a walk-off home run in the 11th, David Freese had instantly become the patron saint of St. Louis. As he rounded the bases to the sound of an electric crowd at Busch Stadium and fireworks exploding in the October sky, he was greeted by a flock of Cardinals at home plate. His jersey was instantly ripped off his body – out of excitement, of course – and was promptly sent to Cooperstown, taking its rightful place with Fisk’s bat and Mazeroski’s helmet.
“It’s all about knowing that this is the same game as when you’re six years old,” Freese told the media after the game. “It’s just elevated on a stage, and everyone is watching. But you’ve just got to keep reminding yourself, it really is the same game and you have a job to do and you try and execute.”
Fast forward five years to the present, and David Freese finds himself in a Pirates uniform, with a recent extension through the 2018 season, along with a club option for 2019. The former World Series MVP is now 33 years old, hitting .276 this season with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs in his first 107 games. While he continues to
“If that’s not the best postseason game of all time, I don’t know what could top it,” Berkman said. “That was unbelievable.”
Alex Coffey is the communications specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame
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