It wasn't the most breathtaking October moment delivered by a weak Dodgers player in Chavez Ravine. That honor will always go to Kirk Gibson, who limped around the bases with two bad knees after his walk-off home run against Oakland Athletic closer Dennis Eckersley landed in the right field pavilion in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

But it was up there.

After he led off the third inning of Saturday night's 7-5 National League Division Series opening win over the San Diego Padres with a single, doctors told Freddie Freeman, who was playing with a badly sprained right ankle, “This is it.” a four.” – on a six-week (injured list) stay” – started at second base.

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And he stole it, dragging his injured right foot as he awkwardly slid over the top of the bag, sending a jolt of energy and an extra dose of determination through the Dodgers' dugout, who had initially regained their footing after a 3-0 -inning- Deficit on Shohei Ohtani's tying three-run home run in the second inning.

“When we won (the World Series) in 2020, there was a saying: The guys were walking around saying, 'Hey, I'm ready to die out there today,'” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “Of course it's metaphorical, but that's kind of the mentality we're adopting again this year, like nothing out there should hold us back and Freddie proved that tonight.

“He gets the hits, makes the plays, steals a sack, and that sends a message to our dugout: Hey, it doesn't matter what your name is, who you are, you better be ready to do whatever it takes is to win this game. …It's hard to put into words exactly what it meant to see Freddie do that. It's just really cool. It almost gives you goosebumps.”

Freeman's stolen base moved him to second with no outs, and although he didn't score in the inning, it gave the team hope that their 35-year-old first baseman and No. 3 hitter would be a factor in this series despite his injury , which he sustained while attempting to avoid a hit while overrunning a grounder in the decisive division win over San Diego on September 26th.

Freeman lined a single to right field at 109 mph on his first at-bat in the first inning. After his single to right in the third inning, he grounded out on a fielder's choice during a three-run fourth inning, grounded out to first in the sixth inning and struck out in the eighth inning.

“When you see a guy like Freddie go through what he goes through and make himself available to play, that says a lot,” said shortstop Miguel Rojas, who is playing with a left adductor muscle strain. “It made me forget everything that's going on with me because I don't even come close to what he's going through.

“Nobody in this clubhouse is 100%. We all understand that. But the fire and fight of this team is incredible.”

When Rojas saw Freeman hobbling around the clubhouse early Saturday afternoon, he thought there was “no chance” Freeman would play.

“I thought he had about a 5% chance because of how he looked when he got here,” Rojas said. “I don’t think anyone expected him to play. It was nothing short of miraculous.”

Freeman completed a practice Friday but woke up Saturday in so much pain that he told his 8-year-old son, Charlie, “I don't know if daddy can play today.” Freeman arrived at Dodger Stadium at 10:45 a.m and received several hours of treatment that reduced the swelling in his ankle.

Freeman completed his normal pregame workout on the field and, after firing off a high-speed pitching machine in the batting cage about two and a half hours before the first pitch, he told manager Dave Roberts that he felt well enough to play. That decision looked pretty good after Freeman's sharp single in the first inning.

“That really helped with the feeling,” Freeman said. “After my first shot attempt I felt good, so I knew I could do it.”

But good enough to steal a base? That seemed unimaginable to the players and coaches in both dugouts, to Padres pitcher Dylan Cease and to nearly everyone in the sellout crowd of 53,028.

“I think the stolen base was just luck,” Freeman said. “I leaned over to Clayton (McCullough, first base coach) and said, 'What's (Cease's time at the plate)?' They know I have a sprained ankle and I thought they didn't think I would steal. He said, “1.65 seconds.” I said, “Can I walk?” And he says, “Can you run?” And I just started walking.

“You know, 90 feet means a lot in this game, especially in the postseason. I know I took a big risk with my feelings, but the opportunity presented itself to me and I had to take it. If I can't play the game properly, I shouldn't be out there. So I felt good enough, the adrenaline took over. But the adrenaline is gone now. I’m tired.”

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What did Roberts think when he saw Freeman running away to second?

“I held my breath,” he said. “And with that crash landing, I wanted to make sure he could get up. As a participant, Freddie felt that there was a chance to get into scoring position without anyone missing out. It's a calculated game. I guess he played with every possum. But it's just an exhilarating game and a brave game. … He just forced his way into the lineup. He was definitely medicated.”

In addition to physical therapy sessions and extensive pregame treatments, pain medications will be part of Freeman's daily regimen for the remainder of the postseason.

“Everything is doctor prescribed, whatever the doctors allow me to do, but yes, there is some help,” Freeman said. “Unfortunately it may be like this every day, but I think we have a good plan and approach.”

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.