David Freese will be fondly remembered in St. Louis Cardinals history for his heroics during the 2011 World Series. However, the former third baseman is turning down the chance to receive quite the honor from the organization.
Freese was elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame via a fan vote, but has declined his induction. In a statement, the former third baseman indicated that he turned down the opportunity because he did not feel deserving.
Here’s David Freese’s statement on his decision to decline his election into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. Freese was set to enter this August. pic.twitter.com/gJEdyaEBE4
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) June 17, 2023
That is quite the humble move for Freese, especially since he was a fan selection. That vote was no doubt the product of his remarkable 2011 postseason, which saw him win NLCS MVP for hitting .545 with 3 home runs in 6 games against Milwaukee. He followed that up with a World Series MVP performance that included the game-tying triple in the 9th and a walk-off home run in the 11th inning of a do-or-die Game 6. His career otherwise was solid but fairly unremarkable, and he retired after the 2019 season.
Freese grew up a Cardinals fan in the St. Louis area and is extraordinarily popular with the team’s fans. Turning down such an honor was presumably not easy for him.
