Most RBI, most home runs and every World Series record Freddie Freeman could break

Freeman is in the middle of a World Series for the history books.
World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees - Game 4
World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees - Game 4 / Elsa/GettyImages
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Freddie Freeman has been a man possessed so far in this World Series. He flipped Game 1 on its ear with an instantly iconic walk-off grand slam, and has since homered in each of the ensuing three games as well. He's the single biggest reason that the Los Angeles Dodgers are a win away from dispatching the New York Yankees, and if that does indeed come to pass, he's a shoo-in to take hom World Series MVP honors.

But that's not all that's on the line for Freeman over the next few days. While he's locked in on capturing his second World Series ring, there's also some individual history that might get rewritten if the first baseman keeps this up.

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Most home runs in a single World Series

Current record: 5 (George Springer, 2017; Chase Utley, 2009; Reggie Jackson, 1977)

As you might've heard by now, Freeman has homered in a record six straight World Series games (including the last two games of the 2021 Fall Classic with the Atlanta Braves). But we're only dealing with home runs in a single series here, so Freeman's four — one each in Games 1, 2, 3 and 4 — is still one shy of the all-time mark. That's currently held by three players: Reggie Jackson, who hit three in one game against the Dodgers back in 1977; Chase Utley, who carried the Philadelphia Phillies offense in a loss to the Yankees in 2009; and George Springer, whose otherworldly run in 2017 will appear multiple times on these lists.

Of course, Freeman is far from done. He still has at least one more game to match or exceed that trio, and if the Yankees find a way to win Game 5 and send this series back to L.A., he could have six long balls in his sights.

Most RBI in a single World Series

Current record: 12 (Bobby Richardson, 1960)

Freeman sits at 10 RBI right now. How ridiculous is that total? No other Dodger has more than two, and the rest of the team combined only has eight. The first baseman has been a one-man offense in this series, with four RBI in Game 1, one on a solo homer in Game 2, two on a two-run shot in Game 3 and then three more in Game 4.

And yet, it's still not quite the record. That belongs to legendary Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson, who drove in a whopping 12 in the 1960 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fully half of those came in Game 3, when Richardson went 2-for-5 with a first-inning grand slam en route to six runs driven in. (He didn't record a single RBI in Game 7, however, which the Yankees lost on Bill Mazeroski's iconic walk-off homer.)

Most total bases in a single World Series

Current record: 29 (George Springer, 2017)

We told you we'd be seeing Springer again. His 2017 barrage against the Dodgers still defies belief: a .440/.533/1.160 slash line, with at least one extra-base hit in each of the seven games. Five of those extra-base hits were homers, including long balls to tie or take the lead in Games 1, 5 and 7. In all, the Astros outfielder totaled five homers, three doubles and three singles, good for 29 total bases — a whopping four more than the previous record of 25, which was shared by Willie Stargell (in 1979) and Reggie Jackson (in 1977).

Freeman has a bit of work to do to reach this mark. He's at 19 total bases for the series so far, adding a triple along with those four homers. But at the rate he's hitting the ball out of the park right now, he could get close to Springer with just a couple of swings of the bat. Freeman would undoubtedly rather the Dodgers wrap things up in Game 5, but if those series goes six or seven, it's not out of the question.

Highest Win Probability Added (WPA) in a single World Series

Current record: 1.2 (Willie Aikens, 1980)

WPA may sound wonky, but it's really not: It simply measures the impact that each individual play has on a team's win probability, then expresses that impact in terms of wins. The current record-holder is Kansas City Royals first baseman Willie Aikens, who went absolutely nuts in the 1980 World Series, hitting two homers each in Games 1 and 4 — the only player to do so until Utley matched him in 2009. (Aikens also delivered the game-winning RBI in Game 3.)

Freeman is already at an even 1.0, most of which came from that walk-off grand slam — one of the single biggest swings in WPA that the World Series has ever seen. Freeman has added to that total with his homer in Game 2, as well as go-ahead blasts in Games 3 and 4. If Freeman delivers more late-inning heroics in Game 5 or beyond, Aikens' mark is in real jeopardy.

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