Freddie Freeman was greeted with a minute-long standing ovation in his emotional return to Dodger Stadium on Monday night after giving reporters an encouraging update on his son Max’s battle with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
“Max is… he’s OK,” a tearful Freeman told reporters before the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
The All-Star first baseman played for the first time since July 25 after missing eight games while Max was in the hospital. Max, the youngest of Freeman’s three children, was temporarily paralyzed by the rare neurological disorder, which attacks the body’s immune and nervous systems.
Max began to lose feeling in his feet before that numbness spread to his shoulders and ultimately affected his breathing. He was rushed to an Orange County hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator. Max is now recovering at home, but Freeman cautioned that her son still has a long road ahead of him.
“It was tough to see one of your kids on a ventilator struggling,” Freeman said during his pre-match news conference. “I know you parents understand that. You would change in a second to take that pain, that suffering away from your child in an instant. When you feel desperate, like (my wife) Chelsea and I felt, that’s tough.
Freeman acknowledges fans’ cheers at home plate as he returns to the lineup
Freddie Freeman’s 3-year-old son Max is ‘miraculously’ home after eight days in hospital
“He’s fine. He’s got his personality back. He’s Max. He’s doing well in that respect. But he has to relearn how to do almost everything. It’s a terrible syndrome, Guillain-Barré.”
Asked how he was doing personally, Freeman said both he and his wife Chelsea were feeling relieved.
“It’s good that he’s here because it means things are looking up,” Freeman said. “Chelsea and I have had a long week. No one should have to go through this, especially a three-year-old.”
Before the game, Freeman and his Dodgers teammates warmed up in blue T-shirts that read “#Maxstrong.”
And it wasn’t just Dodgers fans who expressed some love for Freeman on Monday when he went 1-for-4 with a single.
Even the Phillies gave Freeman a standing ovation when he returned to the plate in the first inning.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman waves to the stands during the first inning
Freddie Freeman and his wife Chelsea gave an update on the condition of their son Max (left) last week
Freeman later singled in the third inning amid chants of “Freddie! Freddie!” and then received a warm hug from Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper after arriving safely.
“Bryce probably texted him at least four times over the nine days, really checking in on him,” Freeman said, adding that several other Phillies also sent warm wishes.
Freeman later admitted to being “tired and exhausted” while speaking to reporters after the win.
“It’s just an emotional day,” he said.
“I can’t thank the Dodgers fans enough,” Freeman said. “It made it that much more special to be able to come back and get a win. It made it very difficult to hit in that first at-bat.”
Emotions, he joked, may have contributed to his 1-for-4 performance at the plate.
‘When you’re crying on a Major League baseball field, it’s really hard to hit the next pitch.’
