Freeman has a moment in the World Series with the grand slam win for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman picked up his youngest son, held him close and pressed kisses to 3-year-old Maximus's blonde head. The slugger's wife, Chelsea, gathered her two other sons for a family photo on the field at Dodger Stadium, where dad had just created an indelible moment in baseball history.

Three months earlier, Freddie and Chelsea were at Max's bedside as he fought for his life after suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Max survived and thrived – and he got to watch his father make World Series history for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

Freeman is still recovering from a severe right ankle sprain, but he had no trouble rounding the bases after hitting his grand slam in the 10th inning to win Game 1 of the World Series over the Yankees. After celebrating with his teammates, he appeared even more nimble as he ran and jumped onto the screen behind home plate to happily celebrate with his father.

“It felt like nothing, just kind of floating,” said a beaming Freeman.

“These are the kinds of things when you're 5 years old and you're playing Wiffleball in the backyard with your two older brothers, these are the scenarios you dream about – two outs, bases occupied in a World Series game,” he added : “For it to actually happen and for us to hit a home run and take a 1-0 lead is the best thing right off the bat.”

After everything the eight-time All-Star has been through since midsummer, it's clear that nothing will stop Freeman from giving everything he has this year – both to his sport and to his family.

“He does something that is basically heroic to put himself in a position to play,” Dodgers postseason hero Kiké Hernández said. “Freddie is a grinder. Not many superstars grind like Freddie. He is a member of the Hall of Fame and this is a special moment in his career.”

Freeman missed eight games for the Dodgers in July and August after Max became ill while watching his father at the All-Star Game festivities in Texas.

When the family returned home, Max was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator after suffering partial paralysis and difficulty breathing. He was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré, the rare neurological disorder that affects the immune system, nerves and muscles.

Max's condition gradually improved and Freeman returned to work on August 5th. He didn't hide his tears before or after receiving a standing ovation from Dodgers fans who understood the extent of his distress.

Freeman then broke his right middle finger less than two weeks after his return and he slumped while trying to play with the injury before manager Dave Roberts persuaded him to sit out a series in late August to get his body back on track .

Max Freeman returned to Chavez Ravine in September to watch the Dodgers on the road. The youngster is expected to make a full recovery, Freeman said.

Despite all of this, Freeman delivered another outstanding season at first base and at the plate, batting .282 with an .854 OPS, 22 home runs, 89 RBIs and 4.7 WAR.

But Freeman seriously injured his ankle on September 26 in the Dodgers' regular-season home finale. The Dodgers acknowledged that the severity of the sprain would have sidelined most players for several weeks during the regular season, but Freeman is determined to eradicate it if possible – because it is October.

He has missed three postseason games, including two of the last three against the Mets in the NLCS. The Dodgers still won and reached the World Series for the first time in Freeman's three-year stint in his native Southern California.

“There were several times where we had to go to Freddie and say, 'Hey, you gotta sit this one out,'” slugger Max Muncy said. “‘We have you tonight. You need to rest.' If you know Freddie, this is a difficult conversation. But he knows what’s best for the team and now he feels confident enough to do what he did tonight.”

After nearly a week of rest and treatment, Freeman said his ankle “actually felt pretty good” before Game 1 against the Yankees.

He showed it in the first inning when he hit a triple – his first since June 1 – with help from Juan Soto, who misplayed his drive down the right field line.

Freeman is only the third player in baseball history to hit a grand slam and a triple in a postseason game. Kaz Matsui, who accomplished this in the 2007 NLDS, is the only other player to achieve this feat since 1920.

In the sixth inning, Freeman watched in awe, arms folded, as Giancarlo Stanton's gigantic home run flew deep into New York's left field stands.

But 36 years after another veteran Dodgers slugger hit a home run to close World Series Game 1 and hobbled around the bases in a frenzied Chavez Ravine, Freeman made the same hobbling run amid the deafening noise of October festivities.

Kirk Gibson created one of the most iconic moments in Dodgers history in 1988. Freeman's shot was eerily similar, even landing in roughly the same part of the Dodger Stadium stands – with the brake lights of early-leaving fans visible in the parking lots beyond.

Muncy hit his own World Series game-ending home run in the 18th inning of the Dodgers' victory over the Boston Red Sox in 2018, albeit in Los Angeles' only win of the series.

“If I hit mine, you’re going to kind of pass out at that moment,” Muncy said. “I could see the reaction on this one. Feel the ground shaking. I was standing next to Dave, but as soon as (Freeman) hit him, I just threw my bat.”

Freeman's home run will be immortalized in Cooperstown: He has agreed to give his cleats to the Baseball Hall of Fame – but only after the World Series is over.

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