Freese selected NLCS MVP for St. Louis
MILWAUKEE — In a lineup loaded with All-Stars, it was David Freese who all but iced the pennant for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Freese, who grew up in a St. Louis suburb, hit a three-run homer Sunday night and was selected MVP of the NL championship series after the Cardinals finished off the Milwaukee Brewers 12-6 in Game 6.
Part of a high-scoring offense that includes Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, Freese went 3 for 4 with a homer in a four-run first inning that got the Cardinals rolling. It was his third home run of the series and fourth in the NL playoffs.
The 28-year-old third baseman has a 10-game postseason hitting streak as the wild-card Cardinals head home to open the World Series on Wednesday night against the Texas Rangers.
Freese also scored three times Sunday night and batted .545 (12 for 22) in the NLCS with three homers, three doubles, nine RBIs and seven runs.
Freese was hitting .356 this season before he missed 51 games after breaking his left hand on May 1 when he was hit by a pitch at Atlanta. He finished with a .297 average, 10 homers and 55 RBIs in 97 games.
His huge postseason is a local story that St. Louis can love: Freese lettered in baseball all four years at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Mo.