Freddie Freeman is usually held in high regard amongst Canadian baseball fans.
Despite being born in California, the star first baseman has represented Canada in both the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic as a way to honour his late mother Rosemary, who was from Peterborough, Ont.
Yet on Friday, when the Los Angeles Dodgers arrive in Toronto for Game 1 of the World Series, Freeman knows where the crowd’s allegiance will lie.
“I’m not so sure the Canadian fans, Blue Jays fans, will be cheering for me this time around like it was in the WBC the last couple times,” said Freeman to reporters via Zoom on Tuesday.
However, the potential shift in fan attitude isn’t going to taint Freeman’s feelings towards visiting his parents’ home.
“But it is special, both my parents are born and raised in Canada, especially in the province of Ontario,” said Freeman. “My mom from the Toronto area, Dad from Windsor, so it is special.
“You know every time I go there, you just have this feeling inside that you feel just a little bit closer to my mom. So I’m looking forward to it, I’m excited. Every time I go there I always get this little envelope in my locker and it’s always like pictures of a third cousin that has found photos in their garage and they bring them to me. I love going back to Toronto, it’s a special place for obviously my family and every time I go back there I feel a little bit closer to my mom. So I’m looking forward to getting there tomorrow.”
Freeman has one home run this October and his slash line of .231/.333/.410 is well below his career post-season numbers. But he is only one season removed from hitting four home runs in the Fall Classic to earn World Series MVP honours.
The 36-year-old is yet to achieve the same success in the WBC for Canada, hitting four singles in 21 at-bats over two tournaments, but could look to add to his international resume during the next edition of the tournament in March 2026.
