Freddie Freeman is Candid About ‘Letting Down’ Team Canada As He Returns to Dodgers Lineup
There are few greater honors than suiting up for one’s country in the World Baseball Classic and this year has shown just how seriously the players take it. With the tournament only occurring once every four years, similar to other international sports competitions, the participants are there strictly to try and bring the title home.
We’ve seen numerous stars hit the field this year in the WBC such as Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and Freddie Freeman, just to name a few. It’s been a very exciting preview at some of the best talent that we’ll be watching again at the end of this month.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest knocks on the tournament taking place right before the MLB’s regular season kicks off is that it poses a huge risk for their athletes to get injured. LA’s own All-Star Freddie Freeman proved these doubters correct as he went down with a hamstring injury during Canada’s match against Mexico.
The Dodgers made the ultimate decision to monitor Freeman’s injury and pull him out of the WBC early. Canada would go on to lose 10-3 to Mexico and get knocked out of the tournament without making it to the quarterfinals.
Despite prioritizing his health and future in the MLB for good reason, Freeman still felt incredibly bad that he couldn’t finish his full time suiting up for Canada (per Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times).
“It was really tough. I apologized to [Canada coach] Greg Hamilton. I feel like I let them down. He obviously reassured me that I didn’t, but that’s just the way I feel.
“Watching on TV when you’ve invested as much as you have in the last week, it’s definitely tough to watch. It was a wonderful week. Canada, we put on a good show, a lot better than 2017. To not see it all the way through is hard. So there’s a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth having to leave the WBC.”
The star first baseman had previously revealed that he was playing with extra motivation for Canada as he wanted to honor his late mother. The country and entire team respects his efforts and, fortunately, we have already received positive updates regarding his recovery timeline. He’s the designated hitter for the Dodgers in Saturday’s game, and will be back at first base on Sunday.
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