‘Time heals everything.' Freddie Freeman, Braves fans find peace at All-Star Game

Los Angeles Times

5 days ago

ATLANTA — There were no tears.
There were no tears when he addressed the crowd in a Fox interview that was played over the Truist Park sound system.
There were no tears when manager Dave Roberts removed him from the game in the top of third inning so the fans could salute him once final time.
Freddie Freeman didn't cry Tuesday at the All-Star Game.
'I didn't know how it was going to go,' Freeman said.
This was the kind of setting that could have very easily turned the emotional Freeman into a sobbing mess, and he admitted as much the previous day. He was returning to the market in which he spent the first 12 years of a career to play in the kind of event that is often a source of reflection.
The absence of tears represented how much can change in four years, especially four years as prosperous as the four years Freeman has played for the Dodgers.
'Time,' Freeman said, 'heals everything.'
For both sides.
The same fans who watched him transform from a 20-year-old prospect to a future Hall of Famer warmly cheered for him during pregame introductions — just not with the kind of back-of-the-throat screams they once did.
The same fans who used to chant his name chanted his name again — just not as long as they used to, and definitely not as long as the fans at Dodger Stadium now chant his name.
Freeman will never be just another visiting player here. He won an MVP award here. He won a World Series here.
Braves fans appreciate what he did for them. They respect him. But they have moved on to some degree, just as Freeman has.
'You spend 12 years with Atlanta, you pour your heart into it,' Freeman said. 'Now I poured my heart into four years with the Dodgers and still got many more hopefully to go.'
Gaining such a perspective required time.
Freeman acknowledged he was wounded by the decision the Braves made after they won the World Series in 2021. They didn't offer him the six-year contract he wanted and traded for Matt Olson to replace him as their first baseman. Freeman signed a six-year deal with the Dodgers.
'To be honest, I was blindsided,' Freeman said at the time. 'I think every emotion came across. I was hurt.'
He carried that hurt with him into his return to Atlanta, which came a couple of months into his first season with the Dodgers. He spent much of the weekend in tears.
Now looking back, Freeman said, 'It does feel like a lifetime ago.'
So much so that Freeman said it was 'a little weird' to be back this week in the home team's clubhouse at Truist Park.
'I was sitting with [Braves manager Brian Snitker] in the office and seeing him and talking to him, seeing all the home clubhouse guys and then it kind of just comes all flying back that, like, well, it has been four years,' Freeman said.
Freeman has since returned to Southern California, where he was born and raised. He's been embraced by an entirely new fan base that supported his family when his now-five-year-old son was temporarily paralyzed last year because of a rare disease. His postseason heroics — particularly his walk-off grand slam in the Game 1 of the World Series last year — has made him one of the most beloved players on a stacked roster.
'Now, everything's in the past,' he said. 'I get to play in front of my family every single day and we won a championship, so everything's OK.'
His experience in Los Angeles has liberated him from the negative feelings associated with his breakup with the Braves, allowing him to focus on his positive memories with the organization.
Because of that, Freeman was grateful he was offered a chance to speak directly to the fans before the game.
'From the bottom of my heart, thank you,' he told them.
He was also thankful of how Roberts replaced him with Pete Alonso at first base while the American League was batting. The crowd gave Freeman a standing ovation. Freeman saluted the crowd in return.
'I really appreciate the moments,' Freeman said.
Freeman grounded out in his only at-bat, which was preceded by respectful applause and a brief chant of his name. Another NL first baseman elicited louder cheers when he stepped into the batter's box, however. That player was Olson, his successor in Atlanta. Freeman wasn't the only one who had moved on.