LOS ANGELES (AP) — Freddie Freeman scooped up his youngest son and held him tight, planting kisses on the blond head of 3-year-old Maximus. The slugger's wife, Chelsea, corralled their other two sons for a family photo on the Dodger Stadium field where Dad had just created an indelible moment in baseball lore. Three months earlier, Freddie and Chelsea were at Max’s hospital bedside while he fought for his life after being stricken with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Max survived and thrived — and he got to watch his father make World Series history Friday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Freeman is still recovering from a badly sprained right ankle, but he had zero trouble rounding the bases after hitting his 10th-inning grand slam to win Game 1 of the World Series over the Yankees. After celebrating with his teammates, he looked even more nimble when he ran and jumped at the screen behind home plate to celebrate joyously with his father.
“It felt like nothing, just kind of floating,” a beaming Freeman said. “Those are the kind of things, when you’re 5 years old with your two older brothers and you’re playing wiffle ball in the backyard, those are the scenarios you dream about — two outs, bases loaded in a World Series game," he added. "For it to actually happen and get a home run and walk it off to give us a 1-0 lead, that’s as good as it gets right there.
” After everything the eight-time All-Star has endured since midsummer, it’s clear nothing will sto.