Although Freehan's later seasons rarely approached the brilliance of those two campaigns, he continued to turn out All-Star years for the Tigers. His offensive numbers dipped in 1970, but he threw out 47% of potential base stealers (his highest mark since 1964) and had a .997 fielding percentage. In 1971, he rebounded at the plate with a .277 batting average and 21 home runs, three of those coming in one game against the Boston Red Sox in August. He hit .262 for the 1972 Eastern Division champions. He missed the first two games (both losses) of the 1972 American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics while recovering from a hairline fracture of his thumb, then doubled and homered in a 3-0 Game 3 win, in which Joe Coleman set a League Championship Series record with 14 strikeouts. Freehan drove in the first of three runs in the tenth inning of Game 4 in a memorable 4-3 come-from-behind victory which tied the series; he also drove in Detroit's only run in the 2-1 Game 5 loss. In 1974, playing primarily at first base, he finished fifth in the American League in slugging average with a .479 mark. He moved back behind the plate the following year to earn his 11th All-Star berth. Freehan ended his career in 1976, batting .270.