After 12 seasons, one MVP, and a World Series win with the Braves, Freeman returns — not as a visitor, but as history personified.
“My hands are sweating… I could be here all day talking to these fans,” he admitted — and as the cheers rang out, Atlanta’s most beloved son finally let go.
Freeman spent the first 12 years of his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves, winning MVP in 2020 and the World Series in 2021. His free-agent move to the Dodgers left a deep void. So when he returned to retire as first baseman at Truist Park, it wasn’t just a game — it was a homecoming.
He told reporters that he’d been watching the All-Star Game since Atlanta was chosen as the host city. “[The Atlanta fans] gave me a standing ovation… I didn’t expect anything,” he said. Then the lights at Truist signaled the start — and he “just let it all out.”
Freeman’s pregame press conference back showed him fighting back tears; his voice shook as he paused several times. As he introduced the lineup, the Truist Park crowd rose to its feet — chants of “Fre-ddie! Fred-ddie!” Applause erupted, and he received two separate standing ovations
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“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Freeman said, referring to his wife, kids, and Atlanta fans.
The applause lasted more than 60 seconds, punctuated by an emotional hug from Braves manager Brian Snitker
Freeman’s stats with the Braves have reached Hall of Fame proportions: .294/.380/.505 in 2011–2019, MVP (2020), World Series champion (2021)
. His 2025 All-Star honor — this time with the Dodgers — underscores how fully he has embraced his new chapter.
But his return to Atlanta is about more than baseball. It’s about closure, gratitude, and legacy. Braves announcer Dansby Swanson said only a legend could inspire such a reaction — “He deserved every second”.
For many, Djokovic’s return epitomized Freddie’s journey: some departures were painful, some returns were healing.
Stepping onto the field that defined him — a husband, a father of three, a former Braves champion — Freddie Freeman did more than play. He breathed life into one of baseball’s most moving homecoming stories, turning cheers into relief, applause into acceptance, and time into vindication.