"Freddie Freeman & Anthony Rizzo are the same kind" – Reds HOFer finds intriguing similarity between Yankees & Dodgers stars
Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo are not only the starting first basemen for the Dodgers and Yankees, respectively, but they share more than just their positions. Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer and former Yankees hitting coach Sean Casey recently shared an intriguing similarity between the two stars, who are set to clash in the 2024 World Series.
Freeman has faced a tough year, both on personal and professional level. His son Max was hospitalized but has now been on the road to full recovery. On the other hand, Rizzo, a cancer survivor, is the prankster in the Yankees clubhouse.
In Monday's episode of 'The Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey', the 3x All-Star Casey pointed out how Freeman and Rizzo are each other's versions in their opposing teams.
"[Freddie] Freeman's such a good guy, you know. Freeman and Rizzo are the same kind of guy, you know what I mean? Do you remember that one game when Rizzo was with the Cubs, and they got Freeman in a rundown? He's like, "Freddy! Frederick!" as he's running," Casey said. [10:09]
"Freeman is such a great personality in that club, bringing those guys like [Shohei] Ohtani and others together. And then Rizzo, dude, Rizzo is a big glue, a big part of that leadership, and a glue guy in that clubhouse. So, the glue guys are on his team too. I mean, this matchup, it's a dream matchup," Casey added.
For Sean Casey, the Dodgers vs. Yankees matchup has all the ingredients, from Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts vs. Juan Soto matchup to Freddie Freeman vs. Anthony Rizzo matchup. The only thing he wants next is the series to go all 7 games.
Freddie Freeman appreciates his teammates for winning the NLCS
Freddie Freeman didn't play in the final three games of the NLCS against the Mets due to his injury. However, that didn't matter, as the Dodgers took care of business, clinching a spot in the World Series against the Yankees.
After the Dodgers defeated the Mets in Game 6 of the NLCS, Freeman spoke highly of his teammates in the postgame interview with Sportsnet.
"I'm trying, you know. It's a grind every day. I appreciate my teammates. That's three wins without me in there, scoring a lot of runs, so I appreciate them giving me the chance to be able to get back in there and hopefully be ready to go by Friday," Freeman said. [0:52]
The 2024 World Series is a dream matchup as it is Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman's Dodgers taking on Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton's Yankees. Many have predicted the series will break viewership records due to the plethora of superstars, especially Judge and Ohtani, in the two teams.