If asked to name the happiest place on Earth, the most common answer probably would be Disney World, but SunTrust Park might have claimed the title Friday.
Before the Braves took the field to face the Baltimore Orioles, Matt Klug experienced a dream come true as he met Freddie Freeman, manager Brian Snitker and Dansby Swanson. Klug is a recent graduate of Brookwood High School and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 38th round earlier this month.
Freeman is the 17-year-old’s favorite player for many reasons, but the young outfielder looks up to the first baseman because of the way he continues to light up the field after his mother died in 2000. Seeing Freeman excel on the baseball diamond inspired Klug to keep going after he experienced similar loss.
In November 2015, Klug’s best friend died because of a brain tumor. A year later, he lost his mother to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. His father died in November 2017 after a seven-year bout with cancer.
Hearing Freeman speak about his mother after hitting a home run on the anniversary of her death was a special moment Klug connected with.
“That was really, really cool to see,” he said. “I saw that, and I thought about my parents. They’re up there somewhere. They’re looking down, and they have control over some of this.”
Klug was all smiles as he spoke with his favorite Braves player Friday afternoon, and his older brother, Patrick, said the conversation with Freeman meant “everything” as the family are “lifelong Braves fans.”
“To see kind of what this has done for (Matt) has been unbelievable,” he said. “It’s lifted his spirits so much after everything we’ve been through. When the White Sox reached out to me and said the Braves wanted us to come down, we were just beside ourselves. This is just a dream come true.”
With his family surrounding him, Klug got some words of encouragement from Freeman and Snitker as well as a hug from Swanson.
“It was amazing,” he said when asked what it was like to meet Freeman. “It’s always something I wanted to do. I didn’t really think it’d ever really happen, so meeting him and talking to him, and he gave me a bat that’s personalized, that’s a really cool thing to do.”
Freeman left a special message on the bat, writing, “Go Braves and White Sox,” though Klug said Freeman told him “it kinda hurt him” to support another team.
While the surprise call from the White Sox was “a dream come true,” Klug plans to pursue a business degree at the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville campus. His days on the diamond may be over for now, but the memories at SunTrust Park will last forever.
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