Freddie Freeman did not expect Braves fans to forget which uniform he was wearing Tuesday night.
Returning to Truist Park for his first postseason game in Atlanta since helping the Braves win the 2021 World Series, Freeman heard boos each time he stepped to the plate in the Dodgers’ 3–1 victory.
He understood them.
“I’ve got a gray uniform on. I expect boos. It’s OK,” Freeman said following the game.
October changes the circumstances. Freeman may remain one of the most accomplished and beloved players in Braves history, but he was back in Atlanta trying to help eliminate his former team.
That did not erase what the organization or the city still means to him.
“It’s all love,” Freeman said. “I still love everybody here.”
Freeman Understands The October Reception
Freeman spent his first 12 Major League seasons with Atlanta and 15 years in the organization overall.
He won the 2020 National League MVP Award, earned five All-Star selections with the Braves and helped deliver the franchise’s first World Series championship since 1995.
Regular-season returns to Atlanta have typically included warm receptions and recognition of that history. The atmosphere was different with the Dodgers and Braves meeting in the postseason.
Freeman said he would have been surprised if Atlanta fans had cheered for an opposing player with their team’s season at stake.
The reaction did not appear to bother him. Once the game began, he described the crowd as part of the overall noise inside a packed stadium.
His response also avoided turning the reception into a controversy. Freeman recognized Atlanta fans were supporting their team while making it clear that his appreciation for the organization had not changed.
Freeman Answers The Boos With His Bat
Freeman nearly punished Chris Sale twice.
In the third inning, Freeman drove a ball toward the left-field wall that left his bat at 101.3 mph. Mauricio Dubón reached over the wall to take away what might have become a two-run homer.
Freeman made sure his next opportunity could not be taken away.
After Kiké Hernández gave Los Angeles a 2–0 lead with a two-run homer in the fourth, Freeman drove an inside sinker from Sale over the right-center-field wall.
His solo homer extended the Dodgers’ advantage to 3–0 and ultimately supplied an important insurance run in a game Atlanta never stopped threatening to take back.
The home run was Freeman’s second of the series and the 18th of his postseason career, moving him into a tie for 10th on MLB’s all-time postseason list.
Freeman Keeps Producing Against His Former Team
The emotional storyline surrounding Freeman and Atlanta will always exist.
His departure after the 2021 championship was complicated, and every return places his history with the Braves alongside the reality that he now plays for one of their biggest postseason obstacles.
Freeman has never pretended his Atlanta years did not matter. He also has never allowed that history to interfere with what the Dodgers need from him.
That balance was on display in Game 3.
He appreciated the atmosphere. He understood the boos. Then he homered off Atlanta’s ace and helped move the Dodgers within one victory of the National League Championship Series.
There was no anger in Freeman’s response after the game and no attempt to manufacture additional tension.
Just an understanding that October loyalty has limits.
Freddie Freeman still loves Atlanta. On Tuesday night, his job was to help the Dodgers beat it.