ATLANTA – Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs on a four-hit night, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 7-4 victory in their home opener Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Freeman, who was stricken with the coronavirus before the shortened season and became so ill that he feared for his life, has quickly reclaimed his place as one of Major League Baseball’s most feared hitters.
He hit his first homer of the season in the third inning, a two-run shot into the empty seats in right field, then added an RBI single that capped a three-run sixth after Tampa Bay pulled ahead with three runs in the top half.
The Braves snapped Tampa Bay’s four-game winning streak as the teams met for the third straight time, having played in St. Petersburg, Florida, the two previous nights.
Tampa Bay scrapped out an unearned run off Mike Soroka in the fifth and pulled ahead for the first time in the sixth, doing the bulk of the damage after Darren O’Day (1-0) took over for the Atlanta starter. With two outs, Kevin Kiermaier drove in the tying run and Hunter Renfroe followed with a two-run single that put the Ray ahead 4-2.