If you are not a huge fan of recently acquired Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman by now, there is a good chance that you never will be … and you may want to seek professional help. With each passing day, the 32-year-old Villa Park, CA native and second-round draft pick in 2007 out of El Modena High School in Orange, CA, endears himself with Dodgers fans even more.

On Monday night, the former (12-year) Atlanta Braves superstar not only hit his first homerun in a Dodgers uniform, he did so against his former team on the second pitch of his first at-bat against them – a solid 386-foot opposite field line drive to left-center field on a 97.1 mph fastball off of his former teammate and fellow 2021 World Series champion, 23-year-old right hander Huascar Ynoa. It was the 272nd career home run for the future Hall of Famer.

But wait, there’s more!

After stepping on home plate and as he was walking back to the dugout, Freeman waved to his family seated just behind the Dodgers dugout. When asked about this subtle but very noticeable gesture after the Dodgers eventual 7-4 win over Atlanta, Freeman did it again – he endeared himself even more with Dodgers fans.

“For fifty-thousand people every single night, every single time I walk up to box and make me feel good about myself, know that they care about me, that means a lot,” Freeman said postgame, noticeably emotional. “I want to get a hit every time for them, and that’s the hard part in this game that we fail so much that I feel like I’m letting them down. So it means a lot that they have welcomed me with open arms, the fans.”

But wait, there’s even more!

When asked about the wave subtle wave he always gives when he steps into the on-deck circle, Freeman gave an answer that hit home for anyone with kids.

“Every time I go on deck, I’m sure you guys will see over the next six years, if my son [Charlie] is at the game, I have to wave to him every single time,” Freeman said. “So, if you ever watch that, there’s always a wave to him because he will get upset if I don’t wave to him.”

Charlie – and fifty-thousand other people – are not upset with Freddie Freeman.

Play Ball!

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