LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman 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 Major League 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 Friday night, he got to watch his father make World Series history.
Freeman is still recovering from a badly sprained right ankle, but he had zero trouble rounding the bases after hitting a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, delivering a 6-3 walk-off win in Game 1 of the World Series against the New York 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.