ATLANA – Freddie Freeman entered the interview room at Truist Park on Friday afternoon and could not contain his emotions. He took a deep breath, turned away from the cameras, folded his arms over his head, and left. “Give me a second,” he said. – Hold on.
A few minutes later, Freeman returned and did his best to orient himself in an emotionally charged interview that marked his return to the place he still adores. Through trembling speech, trembling hands, and dazzling eyes, Freeman, a lifelong member of the Atlanta Braves until the signing of a six-year, $ 162 million free agent agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 17, did his best to express the city. these fans and this team still mean something to him.
“I’ve always told you guys how much I love Braves, this city,” Freeman said. “I thought I loved this city and this organization very much, but I think you can say how much I really love this organization and this city. I don’t even know how I’m going to survive this weekend, boys, if I’m honest. “
With only an hour left on the first field on Friday, Freeman spent about 20 minutes signing for young Braves fans from both ends of Truist Park. Braves released a video tribute to his giant screen in the center of the field moments later, after which Freeman poured out of the dugout and walked to the pitcher’s mound to get his World Series ring – the one he didn’t want to see until returned to Atlanta as a visitor – from Braves manager Brian Snitker. After a long hug full of tears, Freeman turned to the crowded crowd in the stadium, who stood up.
“I know I have a different uniform,” he said at one point, “but I still love each of you guys.”
Freeman had already reunited with his former LA teammates two months ago, but he expected more emotion this weekend. As his long-awaited return was approaching, some people close to Freeman speculated that the series would be a much-needed ending for someone who is noticeably still struggling to no longer play for the Braves.
Freeman denied this.
“I have nothing to close here,” he said, still holding back his tears. “Why close such a special time for the 15 years I spent here? There is nothing for me to close. The question, unfortunately, is a completely different side of the story, which I am not here to talk about because I think, one on one, the people I have talked to know that this is a different country. Because if I got into this, oh, we’d be here a long time. And that emotion can change – big time. “
Freeman, 32, first joined Braves in 2007 as a high school senior. He emerged as a star in the team’s long-running success, established himself as the face of the franchise through subsequent restructuring, then set the tone as the franchise climbed back into the competition – a series of four consecutive titles in the division that culminated in the championship. of the World Series in 2021
All the while, expectations were that Freeman would return as a free agent, but no deal was reached until the owners imposed a lockout on December 1. Shortly after baseball resumed in March, Freeman’s agent, Casey Close, presented two offers to Braves general manager Alex Antopoulos in what was described as a “take it or leave it” scenario, sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Antopoulos then went on to trade a package of prospects with the Auckland Athletics to acquire Matt Olson, Freeman’s replacement, on March 14. Freeman signed with the Dodgers, who play near where he grew up in Orange County, three days later and was left stunned by the way it all played out.
On Friday, however, Freeman shifted his focus to what had just been achieved.
“We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs in my 12 years and since we reached the top of winning everything last year, this ring just isn’t a ring for me,” Freeman said during his pre-match press conference. “These are all victims. All the missed family time. All hours. The broken wrist [in 2017]. The 14-hour bus runs in the small leagues. The 4 in the morning arrive at the hotels. Grinding, every year. To win it at last – man. There is no better feeling in sports. “
Freeman hit .296 / .385 / .510 with 270 home runs and 940 RBI in his 11 full seasons with the Braves, winning the National League Most Valuable Player award after the 2020 COVID-19 layoffs. During the run at the Braves World Series last fall, Freeman was in top form, hitting .304 / .420 / .625 with five home runs and 11 RBIs in 16 playoffs.
Braves’ organist played “We Are The Champions” when Freeman hit early in the first inning, and Braves fans stood up again and applauded. Freeman took the time to settle into the batter’s box, taking off his helmet to acknowledge the audience and his former teammates, before finally taking a walk against Ian Anderson.
Earlier, Freeman admitted that it would be difficult to share his emotions over the weekend.
“God,” he said at one point, “it’s a lot harder than I thought.”
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