Freddie Freeman delivers heart-warming story in 2024 World Series

We were stoked for an epic World Series.

After three thrilling weeks of dramatic playoff baseball, fans were poised for a classic showdown between two historic franchises that had faced each other a record 12 times in the World Series.

Led by the two best players in baseball—and arguably six of the top 10—the Dodgers and Yankees renewed their 83-year-old postseason rivalry with the Yankees’ dynamic duo of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge squaring off against the Dodgers’ terrific trio of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

But unless you’re a diehard Dodger fan, the 2024 World Series left us craving more. For many, the outcome was bittersweet.

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What was expected to be a long, tight series turned into a 4-1 series romp as the Dodgers jumped out to a three-game lead before the Yankees even woke up. Then they broke their hearts in the Bronx with a come-from-behind win and a Dodger blue celebration on the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium.

But the disappointing series had a beautiful silver lining, a classic tale that should be told for centuries.

Freddie Freeman, one of the game’s all-time good guys, won his second championship in four years with one of the greatest performances in World Series history.

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Freeman won his first title with Atlanta, squeezing the last out at first base for the Braves in 2021. But as a free agent after the season, he reluctantly and painfully left the ATL to play for his hometown Dodgers.

The Dodgers entered the playoffs as the favorite after a historic regular season from Ohtani, their $700 million international superstar. But with Ohtani and Judge both struggling, it was Freeman who stepped into the spotlight. He lifted the Dodgers to a thrilling Game 1 victory with a 10^th-inning, walk-off grand slam. He homered again in Games 2, 3 and 4 to become the first player in history to homer in six straight World Series games (dating back to 2021).

No one deserved it more. Not only is Freeman one of the most humble, respected stars in the game, he has suffered his own share of heartbreak.

In July, Freeman’s 3-year-old son Max was stricken with Guillain-Barre syndrome, leaving him paralyzed and in intensive care at a California hospital.

Freeman and his wife Chelsea have three young boys who are always around the ballpark. Charlie, 8, was as well known in Atlanta as his All-Star father.

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When Max woke up one morning and couldn’t walk, the Freemans and the Dodgers were devastated and terrified, and the baseball world grieved with them.

“To see one of your kids on a ventilator fighting … it was hard,” an emotional Freeman said. “I can't tell you how good that felt to be able to hold my son again.”

After winning an NL MVP and a World Series in Atlanta, Freeman had two big years in his first two seasons in LA. But with a heavy heart, he missed 15 games and labored through a lackluster 2024 season and two rounds of playoffs.

But with Max doing better and on a long road to recovery, no one shined brighter when it was showtime than Freeman, who carried the Dodgers to their eighth World Series championship.

Whether you are a happy Dodgers fan or a disappointed Yankee, it had to warm your heart to see Freeman’s bright smile as he celebrated on the field after the game. Those was more than tears of joy in his eyes. There was relief, grace and immeasurable gratitude.

He would trade it all, he said, for the health of his son. 

“I would gladly strike out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the World Series 300 million times in a row than see that again,” he said. “[But] he’s doing OK, he’s on his way to being better.”

That tops a World Series victory any day.

— Jeff Owens is the editor of SCD. You can reach him at jowens@aimmedia.com.