ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman claimed not to hear the boos that came raining down on him Tuesday night.
Having expected as much in his return to Atlanta this week, he simply blocked out the crowd every time he stepped to the plate.
“I don’t really hear much out there,” the future Hall of Fame first baseman said after Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday. “It’s just noise, because it’s so loud.”
There’s been plenty of noise around Freeman entering this series, of course, with the veteran Dodgers star being pitted against his old Braves team.
But from the beginning of the week, Freeman downplayed the narrative, minimizing his role in this best-of-five series.
It’s been half a decade, after all, since Freeman’s stunning free-agent departure from Atlanta and $162 million signing with the Dodgers during the 2022 offseason. At this point, only four of his former teammates from the Braves’ 2021 World Series campaign are even still with his former organization.
“I understand it will be a storyline, I get it,” Freeman told reporters before the start of this NLDS. “But it is five years later. I’m not going to try and look at it any differently.”
Indeed, the only real difference in this reunion has been the reception he received from his former home fans.
Over the years, Freeman usually receives ovations during his trips back to Truist Park. In his first return in 2022, he got choked up while being serenaded during his championship ring presentation.
On Tuesday night, however, there were no cheers when he was announced during pregame introductions, or before the start of each of his at-bats.
Instead, he was met with a wave of repeated boos. One particularly vocal fan near the press box went so far as to begin chanting “traitor!”
To the 37-year-old, it was all to be anticipated.
“I’ve got a gray uniform on,” he said with a smile. “I expect boos. It’s OK.”
Freeman still made sure to reflect fondly on his 15 years in the Braves’ organization.
“I’ve had wonderful experiences with the white uniform on here,” he said. “I loved every second of it.”
Then again, he also loved the way that Tuesday’s 3-1 win played out, when he quieted the boos by hitting his second home run of the series.
It helped put the Dodgers one win away from the NL Championship Series and the Braves’ season on the brink of elimination.
“We’re trying to win the game. They want to win it for their team,” he said. “So it’s OK. It’s all love. I still love everybody here.”
As for the boos, he was asked again:
“I would be surprised if they cheered me in October.”
