Even if clouds obscure the sun at Dodger Stadium this Sunday, Freddie Freeman isn’t planning to shift his sunglasses from his hat’s brim.
He wants to make sure his colors don’t hide the Dodgers logo.
“It will rest on the back of my hat,” Freeman mentioned. “That’s Bobby. Bobby’s still with me.”
Freeman was often smiling while reminiscing about Bobby Cox, the first MLB manager whose death was reported by the Braves that day. The Dodgers were in the middle of a three-game series against the Braves.
Cox, a Hall of Fame inductee in 2014, passed away at 84.
Freeman, who got called up in September 2010, shared that his stint with the Braves didn’t overlap much with Cox’s era. Still, he considered Cox a significant influence on his career.
“He supported us through everything,” Freeman reflected, noting how he participated in the Braves’ spring training the last two years under Cox’s guidance.
He recalled his first day in the Braves’ clubhouse, where he saw himself listed as the No. 6 batter. “I almost felt sick,” Freeman admitted.
Just then, Cox approached him and jokingly asked, “What took you so long to reach the majors?”
“The nerves just vanished,” Freeman said.
Freeman explained that anyone who knew Cox probably has a similar story.
“A lot of the game’s flow is usually pre-decided,” he said. “There are talks with pitching coaches about who can play and who can’t, but a great coach treats you like a person. That’s what Bobby did.”
Interestingly, Freeman’s favorite memories of Cox aren’t even linked to the baseball field. During spring training in 2017, the Freeman family came across Cox and his wife while dining out with their six-month-old son, Charlie.
“I’ll never forget Bobby Cox’s expression when he met my little boy,” Freeman recounted fondly.
