ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman is sure to get a huge ovation when he returns to Truist Park for the first time since helping lead the Atlanta Braves to the World Series championship.
Now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the star first baseman and the NL West leaders open a weekend series at his former home on Friday night.
Freeman was the longtime beloved face of the Braves franchise. After a dozen years in Atlanta, he became a free agent and signed a $162 million, six-year deal with the Dodgers.
At 32, he’s hitting .303 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs. He homered and drove in three runs Thursday in a 10-5 win at Cincinnati.
“I haven’t really thought about it yet,” he said after the victory. “Just looking forward to getting home and seeing my family. They’ve been in Atlanta for a couple days. I’ve been asked a couple times, and I just kind of say no, not (talking) right now. All I care about is getting home to my family. Tomorrow you can ask me those questions, and I’ll see what kind of emotions I have going on tomorrow.”
Atlanta has gone 23-15 in home games and 41-30 overall. The Braves have the fifth-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.84.
Los Angeles has a 23-13 record on the road and a 43-25 record overall. The Dodgers have hit 84 total home runs to rank fourth in the NL.
The teams square off Friday for the fourth time this season.