World Series hero Freddie Freeman may have been born and raised in California, but he shares a dugout with Team Canada for international competitions. The Dodgers’ slugger has provided a heartfelt reason for his decision: it’s the country his late mother called home.
That’s one of the many ways Freeman honours his mother, Rosemary, who he lost at a young age.
“Most people don’t know that, but my mom passed away when I was ten years old of Melanoma skin cancer, and that’s why I play for Team Canada,” the 35-year-old told Dodgers’ media in 2023.
“I don’t know if this is what she would want me to do, but in my heart it’s what I feel I should do,” he added.
Freeman represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic in both 2017 and 2023. As a six-time All-Star, World Series Champion and former MVP, he’s the team’s most accomplished player.
The first baseman also made history on Friday’s Dodgers-Yankees game after becoming the first to hit a walk-off grand slam in a World Series.
Even without his on-field credentials, Freeman’s mother would still be pleased, he noted in the 2023 interview as he held back tears.
“I think even if I hit zero every single season, I think she’d still be proud of me,’ Freeman said. “It’s hard to even think about.”
“That’s going to really get me emotional, but I just hope she’s proud of me,” he continued, adding, “23 years and it doesn’t go away.”
Rosemary Freeman (née McDonald) was born in Peterborough, Ont. and moved to Windsor, Ont., where she met Freddie’s father, Frederick Freeman. The couple later moved to California for Frederick’s work and had three sons, with Freddie being the youngest, Peterborough Examiner reported in 2017.
Even after living in California for 20 years, his mother was still Canadian at heart, Freeman recalled.
At an Angels-Jays game he attended when he was 8, he remembers his mom plucked him out of his seat to stand respectfully when the Canadian national anthem started playing over the loudspeakers.
“It felt like someone ripped me up, and I was hanging. I look, and it was my mom,” Freeman told USA Today.
He also honours his mother’s memory in other ways, including by wearing tight sleeves to every game, no matter how high the temperature rises. Freeman, who is at risk for melanoma, does it both to protect himself and remind himself of her.
“Eery time I put on my tight sleeves, it makes me think of her,” Freeman said in the team interview. He added: “I wear a cross around my neck that unscrews and has her hair inside of it.”
“So Dodger fans, when you get to know me pretty much everything I do is for my mom.”
Freeman and his signature blue sleeves will be in the Bronx tonight for Game 3 of the World Series against the Yankees. Dodgers lead the series 2-0.