Freddie Freeman returned to Atlanta for the first time in the postseason as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and received a different reception from the one he became accustomed to during his 12 seasons with the Braves.
Freeman was booed by Atlanta fans during Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night at Truist Park. He responded with a home run in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory, giving Los Angeles a 2-1 series lead.
The first baseman said he did not hear the boos during the game. Afterward, he was asked about the reaction and offered a simple explanation for why he expected it.
“I’ve got a gray uniform on. I expect boos. It’s OK. Like I’ve always said, I enjoyed my 12 years here. … I would be surprised if they cheered me in October,” Freeman said, according to Matthew Moreno.
Freeman spent his first 12 major league seasons with Atlanta from 2010 through 2021 and helped the Braves win the 2021 World Series before signing with the Dodgers in free agency. The return carried additional significance because Los Angeles and Atlanta were meeting in a postseason series with a trip to the NL Championship Series at stake.
Freeman also made an impact on the field. He went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Game 3, his second homer of the series. He is now batting .364 with two home runs and two RBIs through the first three games of the NLDS.
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The Dodgers entered the postseason as the NL West champions with a 100-62 record, while the Braves won the NL East at 94-68. Los Angeles now has an opportunity to close out the series in Atlanta after Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 over seven innings in Game 3.
For Freeman, the reaction from the Atlanta crowd was not enough to distract from the bigger objective. He spent more than a decade building his legacy with the Braves, but on Tuesday night, he was focused on helping the Dodgers move one win closer to another NLCS appearance.
