LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman singled and got a hug from Phillies star Bryce Harper in his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup on Monday night after missing eight games to be with his ailing 3-year-old son who is out of danger after a serious medical diagnosis. “I’m back," he said before the game, "so that means good things are happening at the Freeman home.” Freeman received a standing ovation in his first at-bat.
The Phillies joined the applause from their dugout. He stepped out of the batter's box, removed his helmet and waved to the crowd, then touched his right hand to his heart. The response clearly moved Freeman, who took several deep breaths before stepping in against Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola.
He struck out swinging to end the first inning. The crowd chanted “Freddie! Freddie!” before Freeman singled in the third. Harper was waiting for him with a consoling embrace.
After an initial diagnosis proved incorrect, Maximus Freeman was found to have Guillain-Barre syndrome, something Freeman and his wife, Chelsea, had never heard of. The rare neurological disorder occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system and causes nerve damage and muscle weakness. “Seeing one of your kids on a ventilator fighting, it was hard,” Freeman said, his voice choking.
“That's the heartbreaking thing. No one deserves to go through something like this. I know you parents understand that.
You'd switch in a second to take that pain,.