For Freddie Freeman, his first grand slam came just in the nick of time.
Freeman’s 10-year wait ended Friday night, when the Braves’ All-Star first baseman hit a grand slam off Nationals reliever Tanner Rainey. The first slam of his career came in his 105th plate appearance with the bases full.
“You don’t know the kind of text messages I got from Chipper (Jones and others), you can only imagine,” Freeman said. “Right when I hit it, it was just an instant smile because I knew I hit it out. I really didn’t think it was ever going to happen. I came to the conclusion that I’m just going to be a slap hitter with the guys on base. The hole is open for me at shortstop and I want those guys to come in. When it went out and left my bat, pretty special.
“My dad usually doesn’t wait up for me because I get home so late after these games. He was sitting in my living room waiting for me to give me a big hug. Definitely special even though he wasn’t here in person. He’s at my house right now and we had a good moment.
“They said my son, Charlie, was crying because my house went nuts last night. Definitely a good feeling. Glad that goose egg is gone.”
Freeman received the ball and gave it to his father, he said. The Braves couldn’t complete their comeback, losing 10-9, but did split the doubleheader with the Nationals after winning Game 1.
Since Freeman debuted Sept. 1, 2010, his 5,882 plate appearances entering Friday were the fifth most in baseball. Each of the four players ahead of him – Carlos Santana, teammate Nick Marakakis, Elvis Andrus and Andrew McCutchen – had homered with the bases loaded.
Noted slugger Sammy Sosa didn’t hit a grand slam until his 247th homer, giving him the most homers hit before a grand slam in MLB history. Freeman was moving closer to Sosa territory – Friday brought homer No. 233.
“Every time I walked up there I was like come on, can I just get this over with?” Freeman said. “When I did it in spring training a couple years ago, I thought the floodgates had to open. Glad it’s finally over with. Guys get shifted so much now, when there are guys in scoring position, and I have that huge hole, I really just want to get them in. But I was able to get a 1-0 heater at 98 (mph) and was able to lift it out. Thank goodness. … Maybe the next 105 plate appearances (with the bases loaded) will be better than the last 105.”
It capped another successful week for Freeman, who’s on an 18-game hitting streak, the third-longest run of his career. He’s helped the perpetually short-handed Braves to a tie for the National League’s second-best record entering Saturday. Freeman is hitting .323 with six homers, 12 doubles and 26 RBIs in 38 games.
Earlier this week, Freeman was named the Braves’ 2020 Roberto Clemente Award nominee. The honor goes to an individual who “demonstrates the values Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente displayed in his commitment to community and understanding the value of helping others,” according to MLB.com. The winner will be announced during the World Series.
“It’s pretty special,” Freeman said. “I think when you have a little bit of a platform, and you use it for good, it makes you feel good. Obviously I didn’t donate to get recognition or any of that stuff, but I was in a position to be able to help some people, so that’s what my wife and I wanted to do. It’s very humbling and means a lot to me and my family.”
“A lot of guys I came up (seeing) did a lot for the community. Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to do my ‘Freddie and Friends’ luncheon this year that helps pediatric cancer for children because of COVID. But we’re doing as much as we can, raising as much awareness, having a kid and a couple more on the way, that’s a big thing because you never know when that can strike your family.
“As much as we can do to give back and raise money for them, that’s big for the Freeman family. I’m in the position to help, so I’m going to try to do as much as I can.”
