All the trophies, rings, and awards suddenly meant nothing when first baseman Freddie Freeman’s three-year-old son was hospitalized with a rare neurological condition.
Freeman’s son, Max, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome in July. The condition was causing Max’s immune system to attack his nerves, which quickly led to full-body paralysis.
During this time, Freeman set down his bat and glove to be by his family’s side throughout Max’s hospital stay. Fortunately, after eight days in the pediatric ICU, Max was released from the hospital.
Freeman returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup soon after for a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. However, there was a possibility that Freeman would hang up his cleats for good during the hardest times with their season.
“There was a point, like, if Max didn’t get better, I don’t know if Freddie would have gone back to playing,” Freeman’s wife, Chelsea, said to USA Today. “So Max getting better in itself is a miracle and then for Freddie to be able to finish the way that he did … I feel like we needed that.”
His teammates wore “Max Strong” shirts during warmups, showing their support for the Freeman family. The eight-time All-Star also received a standing ovation from the crowd in his first at-bat after a nine-day absence from the lineup.
Adversity continued to strike for Freeman throughout the season after his return, but the two-time World Series champion continued to prevail.
Freeman battled through rib and ankle injuries during the Dodgers’ World Series run. Despite playing with two injuries, Freeman set new MLB postseason records in 2024.
He became the first player to hit home runs in six consecutive World Series games, dating back to the 2021 World Series with the Atlanta Braves. Freeman also tied former New York Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson’s 1960 record of 12 RBIs in a World Series.
Most notably, Freeman hit the first ever walk-off grand slam in World Series history in the 10th inning of Game 1 of the Fall Classic against the Yankees.
Freeman was awarded the World Series Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career, honoring his resilience through adversity both on and off the field.
