I'm an old codger Yankee fan but even I have to acknowledge how great Freeman was in the World Series. The younger version of me would have been very angry at his performance against my team; the more mellow version simply has to tip my cap. A performance for the ages. Thanks for the great analysis.
Great article. In addition to the Freese homer, I would throw in the Howie Kendrick homer in 2019 and Madison Bumgarner's game 7 relief appearance in 2014 as similarly pantheon-worthy moments from this "generation" of World Series (i.e. the last 22 years).
A fair number of good ones get thrown out because their teams ended up losing, which is a shame. (Imagine if they threw out Fisk for that reason!) But I did make a list of overlooked moments from recent years, while compiling notes for this piece, and I'd include Max Muncy's 18th-inning homer and Rajai Davis off Aroldis Chapman. I'm completely in the tank for the Davis homer. That's the second or third most memorable baseball moment of my lifetime I think.
Sam, I really appreciate the combination of historical and modern context in your work. Comparing the Gibson home run, the Freeman home run, and also thinking about Reggie Jackson’s 1977 “journey” is really interesting. There is statistical significance and then there’s narrative significance, and you’re getting at the latter through the former.
Can I make an Honorable Mention request for Kyle Schwarber in 2016? Hurt two games into the season in an outfield collision, pushed himself through a grueling rehab process and finished it in time to be reactivated for the Cubs' return to the World Series. He didn't have a Gibby/Freeman-level moment, but did contribute offensively as a DH in Cleveland, and as a fan I can think of few moments where I was more excited than when the news broke that Schwarber was coming back for the Series. Narrative helium.
Hey Sam, I heard you on the Roundtable and loved your analysis, so I thought I'd check out your writing. I'm a diehard Dodger fan (and this is the first post of yours I read), so I'll just assume all of your posts will make me as happy as this one.
I'm also a history teacher, so thinking about history and historical remembrance is something that I enjoy. So this article resonated in more ways than one. One question for you about how hype and buzz can prime historical memory. This series had so much hype and discourse surrounding it, that it seemed like it was more ripe for any big moment to go down as one of The Moments, if that makes sense. Like if this exact game had happened between the D Backs and Rangers last year, that series had less hype/viewership/press so it might not have resounded quite as much as Freeman's grand slam did. (I acknowledge my extreme fandom bias here.) Expanding this point a little more broadly, I know baseball isn't quite as big of a cultural force as it once was (much to my chagrin), so maybe with less primed for these Moments too (in the way that D Backs-Rangers was compared to Yankees-Dodgers). Do you think there's any truth to that? Or do you think us baseball diehards are just as happy to accept new moments into our Pantheon. Here's to hoping the publicity of this series hopes reverse the trend. Thanks again!
I'm an old codger Yankee fan but even I have to acknowledge how great Freeman was in the World Series. The younger version of me would have been very angry at his performance against my team; the more mellow version simply has to tip my cap. A performance for the ages. Thanks for the great analysis.
Great article. In addition to the Freese homer, I would throw in the Howie Kendrick homer in 2019 and Madison Bumgarner's game 7 relief appearance in 2014 as similarly pantheon-worthy moments from this "generation" of World Series (i.e. the last 22 years).
A fair number of good ones get thrown out because their teams ended up losing, which is a shame. (Imagine if they threw out Fisk for that reason!) But I did make a list of overlooked moments from recent years, while compiling notes for this piece, and I'd include Max Muncy's 18th-inning homer and Rajai Davis off Aroldis Chapman. I'm completely in the tank for the Davis homer. That's the second or third most memorable baseball moment of my lifetime I think.
The Davis HR was one of the greatest baseball moments of my lifetime, for sure
Sam, I really appreciate the combination of historical and modern context in your work. Comparing the Gibson home run, the Freeman home run, and also thinking about Reggie Jackson’s 1977 “journey” is really interesting. There is statistical significance and then there’s narrative significance, and you’re getting at the latter through the former.
Can I make an Honorable Mention request for Kyle Schwarber in 2016? Hurt two games into the season in an outfield collision, pushed himself through a grueling rehab process and finished it in time to be reactivated for the Cubs' return to the World Series. He didn't have a Gibby/Freeman-level moment, but did contribute offensively as a DH in Cleveland, and as a fan I can think of few moments where I was more excited than when the news broke that Schwarber was coming back for the Series. Narrative helium.
Hey Sam, I heard you on the Roundtable and loved your analysis, so I thought I'd check out your writing. I'm a diehard Dodger fan (and this is the first post of yours I read), so I'll just assume all of your posts will make me as happy as this one.
I'm also a history teacher, so thinking about history and historical remembrance is something that I enjoy. So this article resonated in more ways than one. One question for you about how hype and buzz can prime historical memory. This series had so much hype and discourse surrounding it, that it seemed like it was more ripe for any big moment to go down as one of The Moments, if that makes sense. Like if this exact game had happened between the D Backs and Rangers last year, that series had less hype/viewership/press so it might not have resounded quite as much as Freeman's grand slam did. (I acknowledge my extreme fandom bias here.) Expanding this point a little more broadly, I know baseball isn't quite as big of a cultural force as it once was (much to my chagrin), so maybe with less primed for these Moments too (in the way that D Backs-Rangers was compared to Yankees-Dodgers). Do you think there's any truth to that? Or do you think us baseball diehards are just as happy to accept new moments into our Pantheon. Here's to hoping the publicity of this series hopes reverse the trend. Thanks again!
Welcome to the party, Matt! Sam’s writing is great.
Thank you! It sure seems like it.