St. Louis Cardinals 3B David Freese, who played for the Fort Wayne Wizards (now the Fort Wayne TinCaps) in 2006, was named the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player after hitting .545 with 3 HR and 9 RBI in the series.

Freese, who grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, will play in front of a true hometown crowd on Major League Baseball’s biggest stage beginning Wednesday. The Cardinals have homefield advantage over the Rangers, so the World Series starts in St. Louis.

Freese hit .299 with 8 HR and 44 RBI in 53 games for the Wizards.