Freeland displaying Lemahieu-like toughness
Watching Kyle Freeland’s superb performance at Dodger Stadium on Friday night, a few things popped into my mind:
A humbling moment at Coors Field in the spring of 2019. An awful moment at Hohokam Stadium during a Cactus League game this spring. And DJ Lemahieu.
Let me connect the dots. In 2018, Freeland posted a club-record 2.85 ERA, finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting, and pitched a gem in Colorado’s wild-card win against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
But there he was, on May 31, 2019, standing in the dugout at Coors Field, answering every question about his humbling demotion to Triple-a Albuquerque. Freeland desperately needed a tune-up and a shot of confidence. The Denver native was 2-6 with an ugly 7.13 ERA and had served up 16 home runs in 12 starts.
Freeland was a mess. He was angry — at himself. But the left-hander was also determined.
“I’m going to go down and learn; learn even more about this game and come back a better person, better athlete, better pitcher,” Freeland said that day.
Spring forward to the Rockies’ March 23 Cactus League game against the Athletics at Hohokam. Freeland, who had rebounded nicely during the truncated 2020 season, was enjoying a terrific spring training. But suddenly, his season, maybe even his career, looked to be in peril.
Pitching to Oakland’s Mark
Canha to open the third inning, Freeland spiked his first pitch into the ground in front of the mound and crumbled over in serious pain. He left the field holding his left arm against his stomach. He was scared. So was manager Bud Black.
“It was the back of the shoulder … where the pain was coming from,” Black said. “When you see that, it’s a sickening feeling for all of us.”
Yet there was Freeland on Friday night, sticking it to the mighty Dodgers in Colorado’s 4-2 win. Over six innings, he gave up two runs — on two solo homers — struck out seven and
walked none. Over his last 12 starts, Freeland has a 2.57 ERA with 68 strikeouts and just 12 walks.
“Coming into Dodger
Stadium, playing against a
World Series-caliber team, that’s motivation,” Freeland said. “I love pitching here. I love taking wins from these guys. I love beating them in their own park, so that’s plenty of motivation for me.”
Freeland is a fiery competitor and he’s not afraid to speak his mind.
When the Rockies reported to spring training, less than three weeks after Nolan Arenado was traded to the Cardinals, Freeland was in a feisty mood.
“We haven’t even played a spring training game and people are already counting us out,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to shock the world.”
That hasn’t happened, of course, but the Rockies are a better team than many of us predicted. They’re on pace to finish 75-87, a far cry from the 100-loss team that some predicted.
As for the Lemahieu connection, Freeland just might have supplanted Lemahieu as the toughest, most-admired guy in the Rockies’ clubhouse.
In September 2018, when the
Rockies were battling the Dodgers for the National League West title, Charlie Blackmon said this about Lemahieu: “Obviously, you don’t want Trevor (Story) or Nolan or anybody to get hit. But if a guy on our team were to be hit on purpose, I think you might (tick off) the most people in the Rockies’ clubhouse if you went after DJ Lemahieu.”
The 2021 Rockies feel the same way about Freeland.