Freddie Freeman's Walk-Off Grand Slam Helped Dodgers Fan Give Up Drinking Habit

Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run in the tenth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Freddie Freeman endured one of the most trying times of his life during the 2024 season.

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After the All-Star break, Freeman’s three-year-old son Maximus was in and out of the hospital. On Aug. 1, Freddie and Chelsea Freeman announced their son had been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Maximus would have to relearn practically everything because of the disease, and the health scare even propelled Freeman to consider walking away from baseball forever.

“There was a point, like, if Max didn’t get better, I don’t know if Freddie would have gone back to playing,” Chelsea Freeman said. “So Max getting better in itself is a miracle and then for Freddie to be able to finish the way that he did … I feel like we needed that.”

Thankfully, Maximus showed steady improvement, which allowed Freeman to return to the diamond. Everyone knows how the story goes after that. Freeman was named the World Series MVP, starting the series with a historic walk-off grand slam in Game 1.

While the moment was a striking symbol of strength for the Freeman family, it was also a life-altering moment for a fan.

A man Freeman met at a preseason luncheon shared that the walk-off grand slam aided him in putting a stop to his drinking habit.

“He wanted to be with his kids, present, [because] they were in the right field stands,” Freeman said at DodgerFest. “He didn’t drink that whole game, and he hasn’t drank since, because of how present he was with his kids.”

“Those are the stories,” Freeman added, “that give me chills.”

Freeman's walk-off grand slam cemented the first baseman in Dodgers lore forever, but the moment was a lifeline for many others.

In many ways, the home run was bigger than baseball.

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