The Los Angeles Dodgers won their eighth straight game on Friday, invading Miami where they downed the Marlins 6-2 behind starter Blake Snell.
The Dodgers magic number for clinching their fifth straight National League West division title — and 13th of the last 14 — now stands at five. Any combination of five Dodgers wins or San Diego Padres losses clinches the NL West for Los Angeles.
Before facing the Marlins again on Saturday, the Dodgers announced some personal news on one of their most popular and valuable players.
Freddie Freeman celebrates his birthday today. The 10-time All-Star turns 37 today, and Los Angeles is counting on a healthy version of their first baseman rejoining the lineup in Miami.
The Dodgers announced that today is Freeman’s birthday in a post on their social media channels with a photo of the first baseman celebrating a home run, and the caption, “Happy birthday, Freddie!”
Freddie Freeman Deals With Knee Issue on Birthday
Freeman has sat out two of the Dodgers’ last three games with right knee soreness, turning what should be a simple birthday celebration into a wait-and-see proposition for a team trying to wrap up its postseason status as quickly as possible.
Frederick Charles Freeman was born Sept. 12, 1989, in Villa Park, California, according to the Dodgers’ official biography. The Atlanta Braves drafted him in the second round in 2007 out of El Modena High School, and he debuted in the majors on Sept. 1, 2010, spending a dozen seasons with the Braves before Los Angeles signed him to a six-year, $162 million contract in March 2022.
Fan accounts marked Freeman’s big day Saturday morning, including a birthday post from RotoWear. When the team celebrated his birthday publicly in 2023, Freeman went 4-for-4 with a homer against San Diego.
Freeman has been day-to-day with the soreness that kept him out of the lineup against Miami Friday, his third sit-down in roughly 10 days after also being limited to designated hitter duty earlier in the week. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said there was no specific incident behind the injury, pointing instead to travel and the artificial turf, and ruled out any chance of an injured list move.
Freddie Freeman’s Numbers With the Dodgers
Freeman’s career numbers dating back to 2010 now stand at a .299 average, 383 home runs and 2,587 hits across 17 major league seasons, a résumé that includes a National League MVP award in 2020, a World Series MVP in 2024 and three championship rings — one with Atlanta in 2021, two more with the Dodgers in 2024 and 2025. He collected his 2,500th career hit in June.
Now at 2,587, Freeman leads all active players in career hits, and ranks 88th all-time.
This season has been a comparative step down. Freeman is batting .297 with 16 home runs and 66 RBI through 140 games, a decline from last year’s totals. He also missed time this spring after welcoming his fourth child, a daughter named London Rosemary Joy, according to an The Associated Press report on his return to the lineup.
Freeman, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen through parents raised in Windsor and Peterborough, Ontario, has worn long sleeves in tribute to his mother throughout his career since she died of melanoma when he was 10. He has also represented Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic in both 2017 and 2023, adding an international chapter to a career built almost entirely in the National League.
Dodgers Announce Freddie Freeman Personal News Before Marlins Game