Freddie Freeman received a standing ovation for a minute in his emotional return to Dodger Stadium Monday night after giving reporters an encouraging update on his son Max’s battle with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
“Max is doing great,” a tearful Freeman told reporters before the Dodgers’ 5-3 win 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 hospitalized. The youngest of Freeman’s three sons, Max, 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 the numbness spread to his shoulders and eventually affected his breathing. He was rushed to an Orange County hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator. Now Max is recovering at home, but Freeman cautioned that his son still has a long road ahead of him.
“It was tough to watch one of your children fighting on a ventilator,” Freeman said during the pregame press conference. “I know you parents understand that. You would switch in a second to take that pain, that suffering away from your child in a heartbeat. When you feel hopeless, like [my wife] Chelsea and I have done that, it’s hard.
Freeman receives applause from fans at the plate as he returns to the lineup
Freddie Freeman’s son Max, 3, is ‘miraculously’ home after eight days in hospital
“He’s doing well. His personality is back. He’s Max. He’s doing well in that respect. But he’s having to relearn pretty much everything. Terrible syndrome, Guillain-Barré.”
When asked how he was doing personally, Freeman said he and his wife Chelsea were both relieved.
“It’s good that I’m here because it means things are better,” Freeman said. “Chelsea and I — it’s been a long week. Nobody should have to go through this, especially a 3-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 showed their appreciation for Freeman on Monday, as 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
Later, Freeman singled in the third inning to chants of “Freddie! Freddie!” but received a warm embrace from Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper as he reached the ball safely.
“Bryce probably texts at least four times in the nine days he’s with us, just to really keep in touch,” Freeman said, adding that several other Phillies also sent him well-wishes.
Freeman later admitted he was “tired and exhausted” when speaking to reporters after his win.
“It’s just an emotional day,” he said.
“I can’t thank the Dodgers fans enough,” Freeman said. “It made it a lot more special to be able to come back and do it in a win. It made it really hard to hit in that first at bat.”
He joked that the emotions may have contributed to his 1-for-4 performance at bat.
“When you’re standing on a major league baseball field crying, it’s really hard to hit a ball that’s coming at you.”