Freddie Freeman and Braves fans find peace at the

ATLANTA — There had been no tears.

There had been no tears when he addressed the crowd in a Fox interview that was performed over the Truist Park sound system.

There had been no tears when supervisor Dave Roberts eliminated him from the recreation in the prime of third inning so the fans might salute him once closing time.

Freddie Freeman didn’t cry Tuesday at the All-Star Game.

“I didn’t know how it was going to go,” Freeman stated.

This was the form of setting that might have very simply turned the emotional Freeman into a sobbing mess, and he admitted as a lot the earlier day. He was returning to the market in which he spent the first 12 years of a profession to play in the form of occasion that is commonly a source of reflection.

The absence of tears represented how a lot can change in 4 years, particularly 4 years as affluent as the 4 years Freeman has performed for the Dodgers.

“Time,” Freeman stated, “heals everything.”

For both sides.

The identical fans who watched him remodel from a 20-year-old prospect to a future Hall of Famer warmly cheered for him during pregame introductions — just not with the form of back-of-the-throat screams they once did.

The identical fans who used to chant his identify chanted his identify again — just not as long as they used to, and positively not as long as the fans at Dodger Stadium now chant his identify.

Freeman will never be just one other visiting participant right here. He received an MVP award right here. He received a World Series right here.

Braves fans recognize what he did for them. They respect him. But they’ve moved on to some degree, just as Freeman has.

“You spend 12 years with Atlanta, you pour your heart into it,” Freeman stated. “Now I poured my heart into four years with the Dodgers and still got many more hopefully to go.”

Gaining such a perspective required time.

Freeman acknowledged he was wounded by the resolution the Braves made after they received the World Series in 2021. They didn’t offer him the six-year contract he wished and traded for Matt Olson to substitute him as their first baseman. Freeman signed a six-year deal with the Dodgers.

“To be honest, I was blindsided,” Freeman stated at the time. “I think every emotion came across. I was hurt.”

He carried that harm with him into his return to Atlanta, which got here a couple of months into his first season with the Dodgers. He spent a lot of the weekend in tears.

Now trying back, Freeman stated, “It does feel like a lifetime ago.”

So a lot so that Freeman stated it was “a little weird” to be back this week in the home workforce’s clubhouse at Truist Park.

“I was sitting with [Braves manager Brian Snitker] in the office and seeing him and talking to him, seeing all the home clubhouse guys and then it kind of just comes all flying back that, like, well, it has been four years,” Freeman stated.

Freeman has since returned to Southern California, where he was born and raised. He’s been embraced by an completely new fan base that supported his household when his now-five-year-old son was quickly paralyzed final 12 months because of a uncommon illness. His postseason heroics — significantly his walk-off grand slam in the Game 1 of the World Series final 12 months — has made him one of the most beloved gamers on a stacked roster.

“Now, everything’s in the past,” he stated. “I get to play in front of my family every single day and we won a championship, so everything’s OK.”

His expertise in Los Angeles has liberated him from the detrimental emotions related with his breakup with the Braves, permitting him to focus on his optimistic reminiscences with the group.

Because of that, Freeman was grateful he was supplied a probability to converse straight to the fans before the recreation.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” he informed them.

He was also grateful of how Roberts changed him with Pete Alonso at first base while the American League was batting. The crowd gave Freeman a standing ovation. Freeman saluted the crowd in return.

“I really appreciate the moments,” Freeman stated.

Freeman grounded out in his only at-bat, which was preceded by respectful applause and a transient chant of his identify. Another NL first baseman elicited louder cheers when he stepped into the batter’s box, however. That participant was Olson, his successor in Atlanta. Freeman wasn’t the only one who had moved on.