Dodgers star Freddie Freeman recorded his first home run of the season on Monday night, and it could not have come in a more epic fashion.
Facing the Braves for the first time since arriving in L.A., the All-Star first baseman delivered the flex of a lifetime against his former team in his first at-bat of the game. In the first inning with one out and no one on base, Freeman blasted a ball from pitcher Huascar Ynoa over the left center field wall to give L.A. a 1–0 lead and earn his first HR as a Dodger.
The wild sequence drew raucous applause from a jam-packed Dodger Stadium as Freeman trotted the bases and soaked up every ounce of electricity in the building. The 2020 NL MVP spent his first 12 years with the Braves, and won his lone World Series championship with the club in 2021.
Freeman’s big moment adds to what has been a warm welcome for the 32-year-old in his new city. During Saturday’s home opener against the Reds, Freeman received a standing ovation while being serenaded by chants of “Freddie, Freddie.”
Monday night’s moonshot could ignite Freeman’s bat going forward after he recorded 31 homers last season. In the meantime, however, the three-time Silver Slugger winner can celebrate going yard for the first time in the Dodger blue and white while his former organization ponders on what could have been.
