The 2024 season ended with a World Series MVP and a historic walk-off grand slam for Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, but the road to becoming a champion was anything but easy.

The journey to the Fall Classic was arguably one of the most arduous and emotional periods for the Freeman family. In July, Freeman’s three-year-old son, Maximus, was in and out of the hospital soon after the All-Star break.

On Aug. 1, Freddie and Chelsea Freeman announced their son had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. A few days later, Freeman returned to the lineup and received a standing ovation from Dodgers fans during his first at-bat of the game.

“I can’t thank the Dodgers fans enough,” the first baseman said after the game. “Made it a lot more special to be able to come back and do it in a win. Made it really hard to hit in that first at-bat.

“When you’re crying on a Major League Baseball field, it’s really hard to hit a pitch that’s coming.”

Prior to the game, Freeman had given an update on his son, wearing a shirt that read #MaxStrong.

“Max is — he’s doing all right,” Freeman said in August. “He’s doing OK. His personality’s back. He’s Max. He’s doing good in that aspect. But he’s got to relearn how to do pretty much everything. Terrible syndrome, Guillain-Barré.”

A week ago, the Freemans celebrated Max’s and his brother Brandon’s fourth birthdays. Chelsea Freeman shared a promising update regarding Max.

“I didn’t even know if I’d be able to sign him up for Little League a few months ago,” Chelsea said, via The New York Post’s Jaclyn Hendricks. “He’s still in physical therapy, he’s going to be doing that probably through July, so it’s on track with the one-year recovery from Guillain-Barré, but he’s doing absolutely fantastic.”

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports