Dodgers First Baseman Freddie Freeman Exactly Where He Belongs

The first home run of the rest of Freddie Freeman’s profession got here against the best group he had ever recognized until this 12 months, and towards the pals who moved him to tears upon seeing them earlier than the sport. Freeman had not seen most of his World Series champion Braves teammates given their victory parade. Now a Dodger, both due to the fact he overplayed his hand or due to the fact the Braves saw a gap to get the subsequent Freeman (most in all likelihood both), he emphatically grew to become the page by way of swatting his first homer as a Dodger in his first at-bat against his former team.

Dodgers teammate Trea Turner had joked with Freeman before the sport that he had waited till the crew’s 10th sport to go backyard due to the fact that might be his first in opposition to the simplest organization he knew for 15 years. Turner became prophetic, however, Freeman wasn’t buying the best-in-Hollywood storyline on an emotional night for him.

“Being able to see them again,” Freeman said approximately his buddies and previous teammates. “That is the storyline for me.”

Freeman’s domestic run jumpstarted the Dodgers to their seventh straight win, 7–4. They look as loaded as you would anticipate a group with 12 All-Stars, the maximum in baseball, and as many as the Guardians, Reds, Orioles, Pirates, and A’s mixed. Two MVPs hit homers for the Dodgers (Freeman and Cody Bellinger), every other scored a run (Mookie Betts) and a fourth become the triumphing pitcher (Clayton Kershaw). House of Gucci didn’t have an ensemble forged like this.

Freeman changed into a 2d-round draft select in 2007 out of El Modena High School in Orange, Calif. And if your idea of the proper situation was for Freeman to remain a Brave for lifestyles, you should know approximately a scene that took place on his excessive school baseball area simply one week earlier than he signed with the Dodgers.

“I hit .177 final yr in the first few weeks,” Freeman said, “so at some point of the lockout I figured I better do something specific to make certain that didn’t take place once more.”

Freeman lowers back to his high school baseball area to take batting practice. The character throwing to him became his father, Fred. And the man or woman shagging inside the outfield changed into his grandfather.