Freddie Freeman has certainly had better weeks.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star missed a full week of action after his three-year-old son Max was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with Gullian-Barre syndrome, a rare disease that causes the immune system to attack the nerves and can result in paralysis.
Fortunately, Max is on the road to recovery and Freeman has returned to the Dodgers. On Monday night, he received a heartfelt ovation when he stepped up to the plate for the first time.
Freeman was clearly overwhelmed by the support he and his family received from the Dodgers fanbase, as well as the rest of the sports world. He waved to the crowd and tipped his helmet to the fans.
Even Nick Castellanos was overcome with emotion. Cameras panned to the Philadelphia Phillies right fielder and showed him with his hat on his heart.
Moments like these are bigger than baseball. The Freeman family certainly experienced a lot of stress as they awaited the word on Max and his status.
But being able to return to Dodger Stadium and receive such a raucous ovation may have been exactly what Freeman needed after such a long and stressful week. The crowd understood what he had been through and made sure to show their support.
The veteran slugger picked up a hit in his return to the lineup and went 1-for-4 against the Phillies. Los Angeles beat Philadelphia by a final score of 5-3 on Monday night, taking the first game of their series.
But the bigger story was Freeman's return after all he and his family had been through over the last week.
The 34-year-old is hitting .287 with 16 home runs, 67 RBI, and an .884 OPS this season.
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