Freddie Freeman returned to Truist Park for the first time as a visiting player after spending 12 years with the Atlanta Braves, and each game he was overcome with emotions as fans celebrated his return despite being a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Freeman expressed his desire to end his career in Atlanta multiple times, but the organization ultimately decided to move on from their franchise legend. That led to the 32-year-old coming back home by signing a six-year contract with the Dodgers.
Freeman was excited to reunite with his former Braves teammates when they visited Dodger Stadium in April, but returning to Atlanta brought an entirely new set of emotions, which ultimately left him exhausted after each game.
Now that both series with the Braves are completed, Freeman said he looks forward to just focusing on baseball for the rest of the season, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
“I’ve been thinking about this for three months, to be honest with you,” Freeman said. “I’m just kind of glad it’s over. So I can just worry about baseball now.”
Prior to the series beginning, Freeman held an emotional press conference that ended with him hugging members of the Atlanta media. Heading into the weekend, Freeman had been up front over how emotional he would be throughout the series at Truist Park.
The Braves also held a pregame ceremony before the first game to present the 2021 World Series champion with his ring.
Freeman finished the series 4-for-12 with three walks and six strikeouts in his first time in Atlanta as a visitor.
Clayton Kershaw hopes Dodgers aren’t ‘second fiddle’ for Freeman
While Clayton Kershaw is understanding of Freeman’s ties to the Braves, he hopes the Dodgers are a priority for him and believes similar feelings about his new franchise will emerge.
Both during the series at Dodger Stadium and now again in Atlanta, Freeman has dismissed the notion of needing any sort of closure. He instead has explained playing for the Braves brought about countless memories that were capped off with winning a World Series last year.
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