Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman made headlines once more Saturday after an on-field embrace with All-Star Ketel Marte.
Freeman got his first hit of the season in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, singling to right field in the bottom of the second inning. Santiago Espinal came up to the plate with two outs shortly after, and grounded the ball to Marte at second base.
The Diamondbacks’ second baseman fielded the ball right in front of Freeman before turning towards him, blocking the base path and outstretching his arms for a hug. After a step back, Freeman walked towards Marte and gave him a hug to end the inning.
“I stopped, and I was like, is there any way around this? If I go out of the baseline, I’m out. If I run back, he’ll just run to second,” Freeman said. “He gave me a little, ‘Come here,’ and I was like, ‘All right, let’s just do it.'”
“…I’m very much a hugger. Emotional man over here.”
Freeman ultimately got the last laugh, as the Dodgers took a comeback win following Will Smith’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning. The first baseman went 3-for-4 in the game with an RBI double and two singles.
The veteran and former MVP is slashing .250/.308/.333 in the young season, and will hope to continue improving as the season progresses.
The Dodgers swept the D-backs in their first series of the season, jumping to an early lead in the NL West and leading the second-place San Diego Padres by two games.
Who Do the Dodgers Play Next?
The Dodgers get a rest day Sunday, but jump straight back into their six-game homestand with a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
LA has already declared their starters for the three games, and will have Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto face their opponents in that order. The Guardians are also of to a strogn start to the season, having beaten the Seattle Mariners in two of their three games so far. They’ll finish their four-game set in Seattle on Sunday before heading down to LA.
The first game of the series comes Monday at 7:10 p.m. PT, as Sasaki looks to bounce back following a rough stretch of games throughout the spring.
