Freddie Freeman moved a crowd of 48,178 at Dodger Stadium to its collective feet on Monday night before his first at-bat of a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
The first baseman missed the team’s last eight games to be at the side of his son, Maximus, while the 3-year-old battled a rare neurological disorder that temporarily left him paralyzed.
Freeman stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the first inning with a rousing ovation as his soundtrack. He took off his batting helmet and tapped his heart in appreciation of the 45-second ovation in a moment proving that life is bigger than baseball.