A day after announcing that his 3-year-old son Max was home from the hospital following a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome, Freddie Freeman returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup Monday night.
When he made his first plate appearance against the Philadelphia Phillies, the All-Star first baseman was greeted by Dodgers fans with a minute-long standing ovation.
Freeman acknowledged the crowd as it erupted into chants of Freddie, Freddie, Freddie. He then took the plate, where he went 1 for 4 in a 5-3 Dodgers win. When he singled in the third inning, Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper greeted him with a hug.
Freeman’s been gone to tend to his ill son
The game was Freeman’s first since July 25, a span of eight games. He and his wife Chelsea announced on Aug. 1 in a joint Instagram post that Max had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and that Freeman had been placed by the Dodgers on the family emergency list.
Guillain-Barré syndrome is an autoimmune disease that is believed to be triggered by a viral or bacterial infection, among other potential causes. According to the CDC, it affects one or two out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. in a given year.
Per the Mayo Clinic, it attacks the nervous system and can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis. The Freemans wrote in the family announcement last week that “Max rapidly declined and went into full body paralysis.”
Guillain-Barré syndrome has no known cure, but most people make a full recovery, according to the Mayo Clinic. Full recovery can take several years, but “most people are able to walk again six months after symptoms first began,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Freemans wrote in their Instagram post: “We have faith that he will be completely healed. We have been blown away by his improvements in the last 48 hours.”
Freeman gives pregame update on Max
Freeman provided an emotional update on Max’s condition prior to Monday’s game. He wore a T-shirt that read #MaxStrong while speaking with reporters.
“Max is — he’s doing all right,” Freeman said while announcing that Max was undergoing physical therapy. … “He’s doing OK. His personality’s back. He’s Max. He’s doing good in that aspect. But he’s got to relearn how to do pretty much everything. Terrible syndrome, Guillain-Barré.”
Freeman then paused to fight back tears.
“He’s doing OK. He’s on his way to being better.”
A reporter then asked Freeman how he was doing.
“It’s a good thing I’m here because it means things are trending better…. No one should have to go through this, especially a 3-year-old. I don’t know how many times Chelsea and I said we wish we could switch.”
Freddie Freeman, understandably emotional, speaks about the… pic.twitter.com/AYBrRdVv2O
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 6, 2024
“It’s a good thing I’m here, because it means things are trending better,” Freeman responded. “Chelsea and I — it’s been a long week. No one should have to go through this, especially a 3-year-old.”
Freeman details family’s harrowing experience
Freeman went on to provide details of Max’s and his family’s experience in recent weeks. He said that Max woke up with a limp the morning of Monday, July 22 and by Monday night, he couldn’t walk. By Tuesday, he couldn’t sit up.
Freeman was still with the team at the time. He got pulled from a July 24 home game against the San Francisco Giants when Chelsea called the team saying she was taking Max to the emergency room. Max wasn’t eating or drinking.
Doctors at the time thought Max was dealing with a hip syndrome called transient synovitis that causes swelling and pain in the hip and is most commonly found in children aged 3 to 10 years old. They sent Max home with a plan to treat him with medication.
Max wasn’t diagnosed with Guillain-Barré until a pediatrician on July 26 told the Freemans to rush Max back to the hospital. Freeman said that that Max was placed on a ventilator after he was checked in. That was six days before the Freemans made Max’s diagnosis public and wrote about his recovery.
Freeman thanks fans for their support
After Monday’s game, Freeman spoke with MLB Network about the support he received from Dodgers fans upon his return. He MLBN that he struggled through tears during a first-inning strikeout.
“I can’t thank the Dodgers fans enough. Made it a lot more special to be able to come back and do it in a win. Made it really hard to hit in that first at-bat.
“When you’re crying on a Major League Baseball field, it’s really hard to hit a pitch that’s coming.”
