By now, every Dodger and baseball fan on the planet is well aware of the medical condition (Guillain-Barre syndrome) that three-year-old Maximus Freeman, son of Dodgers first baseman and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Freddie Freeman, is dealing with, so I won’t belabor that issue.
But what absolutely bears repeating is the incredible show of love and support given to the entire Freeman family over Max’s potentially fatal medical condition.
“Since I’ve got here, these three years that I’ve been here, it’s… it’s hard to put into words what the Dodger fans have meant to us and our family and… and the toughest times. It shows it’s the true character of this organization’s fans. It’s absolutely incredible,” a very emotional Freeman told reporters following the Dodgers 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
“They made it really hard to hit in that first at-bat, but that’s a good thing, I was okay with that. It’s one of the most pleasant strikeouts I’ve had in my big league career,” Freeman added, with his signature Freddie Freeman smile.
Well done, Dodger fans – and Dodgers!
Play Ball!
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It’s times like this that we observe the guts of the human spirit. There were no Dodgers, or Phillies, or Braves, or Giants, or Diamondbacks, et al fans, there were only human beings touched by the drama a little boy and his family were facing. The brief embrace of Freeman and Bryce Harper at first base was inspirational as we saw human kindness taking priority over a game.