Ketel Marte Records Unique Out on Freddie Freeman by Giving Him a Hug

The Dodgers’ first baseman laughed it off after the game.

Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte gets Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman out by hugging him. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Well, that was a first.

During the Dodgers’ 3–2 win over the Diamondbacks on Saturday, Arizona's Ketel Marte recorded an out on Freddie Freeman by hugging him. Yes, you read that right.

After starting the season 0-for-8 at the plate, Freeman finally got his first hit of the season early in Saturday’s game in the bottom of the second inning. With Freeman on first base, Dodgers third baseman Santiago Espinal hit a ground ball straight to Marte at second.

Freeman was attempting to run from first to second in the process, but Marte got ahold of the ball right in front of him. Instead of trying to run around him or trick him, Freeman stopped running to accept his fate. Marte then opened his arms, as one does when inviting a hug. Freeman obliged, and the two MLB stars shared a quick pat on the back. What an awesome baseball moment, but definitely something we didn’t think we’d witness on a baseball field.

You want a hug? ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HIhDKAZfPl

— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2026

After the game, Freeman detailed what went though his mind when he saw Marte get the ball. The Los Angeles first baseman couldn’t help but chuckle when retelling this funny moment on the field. However, he admitted he kind of forgot about it since the hug happened in the second inning.

“Well, I stopped and was like ‘Is there any way around this?’ ... He gave me a little ‘Come here,’ and I was like ‘Alright, let’s just do it,’” Freeman said while laughing, via The Sporting Tribune’s Fredo Cervantes. “Didn’t think I’d ever be part of a hug out on a baseball field.”

It’d be hard to imagine many MLB stars accepting a hug out, but Freeman was the perfect man for the moment. He’s known for being a “hugger” and admitted he is an “emotional man.” Nothing wrong with that.

“I’m very much a hugger, I think you guys all know that. Emotional man over here.”

Freddie Freeman on the hug-out with Ketel Marte in the bottom of the 2nd inning. @SportingTrib | #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/YNzuk5oUnp

— Fredo Cervantes (@FredoCervantes) March 29, 2026

This is camaraderie MLB needed to see between two opposing players. It’s hard not to think of the opposite type of situation, and in recent memory, you could contrast the Marte–Freeman hug to Cal Raleigh snubbing his Mariners teammate Randy Arozarena from a handshake at the World Baseball Classic.

Raleigh, who was representing Team USA as their catcher, appeared to ignore Arozarena, who was representing Mexico, when he went to give his Seattle teammate a handshake at home plate during a WBC matchup. Raleigh later explained there was no bad blood between them, he was simply just locked in to the game. Even though Arozarena definitely seemed upset at first, he later brushed off the moment so the two teammates could work together in Seattle for a common goal during the MLB season.

After tense moments like this one, it’s nice to see a sweet moment occur on the field between opponents.

---