Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman recently missed eight games while attending to his son, Max, who was recently diagnosed with Guillan-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder. Freeman's return, and the reaction from the Dodger Stadium crowd during Freeman's first at bat back, was one of the most emotional and inspiring moments of the season.
Dodgers ace Tyler Glasnow spoke about Freeman's return, meant to him and the rest of the Dodgers clubhouse in an interview on “The Chris Rose Rotation” podcast.
“Freddie means so much to this team,” Glasnow said. “His clubhouse presence, he's one of the most professional baseball players I've ever met. Will never take a day off, no matter how bad he feels. He always plays. It means so much to him, but his kids mean everything to him.”
“It was so much bigger than baseball, it made stressing about baseball pointless,” Glasnow continued. “The grand scheme of life, that is so much more important.”
This is a powerful and refreshingly honest statement from Glasnow about what must have been an incredibly difficult time for the Dodgers. Glasnow's comments go a long way in humanizing baseball players and other professional athletes, and showing that there's more to their lives than just their on-field performances.
Freddie Freeman's emotional return to the Dodgers
When Freeman first stepped to the plate during the bottom of the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 5, he received a minute-long standing ovation from the crowd. Freeman, who was fighting back tears, struck out in his first at bat against Phillies starter Aaron Nola. Later in that game, Freeman reached on a single and shared another emotional moment with Phillies star first baseman Bryce Harper.
Glasnow's comments about Freemans absence are a huge wake-up call. It's easy, especially for professional athletes, to become hyper-focused on their performances and not care about anything else. Glasnow said that before this, he had never seen Freeman take a day off, but the second he needed to be there for his family he dropped everything.
Max is out of the pediatric intensive care unit and continuing to recover at home, and the situation seems to be at a point where Freeman can return to the Dodgers full-time. While it was clear how much the Dodgers, and everyone else around baseball, cared about and was thinking about Freeman, Glasnow's comments show just how big of an impact it truly had.
Follow Us
Subscribe