Freddie Free Man

To start off, I need to be completely honest with you and admit that … I am an LA Dodgers fan. Some people have been very outspoken about their dislike for the team that stole their best player (ahem, Dan van Voorhis at 1517 … not to name any names!), but having grown up going to Dodger games with my family, it is in my blood.

I have been enjoying this World Series between the Dodgers and the Yankees immensely, not just because the Dodgers have been winning, but because of the stories and the suspense that naturally result from the game of baseball. I absolutely love it. You just can’t make up the situations that happen. For example, when Mookie Betts caught a foul ball just over the wall, and a Yankees fan tried to grab his glove off of his hand, while the fan next to him grabbed Mookie’s arm in order to steal the already caught ball. I mean, come on!

But of course, the most exciting moment has been Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in game one. Maybe you’ve seen the recap, but picture this: The Dodgers are down by one run in the bottom of the tenth inning, the bases are loaded, and there are two outs. Freddie Freeman comes up to bat. The announcers discuss the pressure of this moment and say that if he can just get the ball in play for a single, that will be good enough. They talk about Freddie’s recent ankle sprain, which left him out of the lineup in a few games of the postseason. Can he do it? Can he keep the Dodgers from losing this game? Freddie walks up to the plate, sees the first pitch, and slams it out of the park. The crowd goes completely nuts. People are jumping up and down cheering and then immediately turning to those next to them and giving hugs and high fives. What a beautiful scene! It is definitely one of the best moments in baseball, right up there with Kirk Gibson’s home run in the 1988 World Series.

Freddie victoriously runs the bases, and the other Dodgers run out to welcome the hero of the game back to home plate. They’re jumping and hugging and screaming. The broadcast then cuts to a slo-mo replay of the hit. The announcers admit that they have no words to describe what just happened. They can’t believe it.

Cut back to Freddie Freeman, now being interviewed by Ken Rosenthal. After getting doused in ice-cold water by his teammates, Freddie continues to answer questions. Ken says, “You ran over to your dad after hitting that home run, what did you say to him?” Freddie says, “Oh, I was just screaming in his face, sorry dad! (laughs) Uh, yeah, he’s been there since I was a little boy, throwing batting practice to me everyday, so, this isn’t my moment, that’s my dad’s moment.”

My mouth dropped open. Did I just hear that correctly? Freddie just gave his dad all of the credit for this glorious moment. It rolled off his tongue so naturally. It did not come off as some attempt at false humility or like something he felt like he was supposed to say. He really meant it.

Earlier in the season, Freddie Freeman missed about a week of games because his own son needed him. His son was in the hospital with a life-threatening disease. He came through it, thank God, but Freddie stepped away from the game to put his son first. His love for his son came before his own success, before the team’s success. Just as his father had done for him, he put his son first.

In the days following that amazing first game between the Dodgers and the Yankees, I kept thinking about that statement Freddie made and why he seemed to give it so easily. It was a fact. He actually believed that he would not be on that field in that Dodgers uniform hitting a grand slam if it weren’t for his dad. He did not say it because he owed him anything. His dad helped him day in and day out with batting practice out of love for his son, not because he wanted credit. When neither party cares about the credit, it becomes very natural to give it. Nobody is grasping for attention because they’ve already received the love and attention they need.  It is about a loving relationship, not people getting what they’re owed.

Amid our various ups and downs of life, we sometimes get caught up in the question of who should take credit — or blame. We run algorithms in our heads accounting for our actions and whether we should be lauded or criticized. And especially when things go our way, we make sure people know just how much our success reflects back on us. But with God, he is not concerned with giving credit where credit is due. Quite the opposite, actually. Grace is about receiving credit that was not due.

I was in a Bible study at church one Sunday, and we were talking about being called by God. One of the long-time members, who always has a gem to share, said this: “I always say that when God is calling me to do something, if it is a success, I give him the credit. But if it fails … it’s not my fault.”

That was not how I thought she was going to end that sentence. I thought she was going to say that if it failed, that meant she must not have heard God correctly, or that it is her fault because we are imperfect sinners. But no, she said it’s not her fault, which sounds a whole lot like grace to me. She knows that not only will God be the reason for any success but that he is also willing to take the hit for failure as well. (And who knows if what we deem failure is actually failure in God’s eyes anyway!) God gets the credit and the blame for all of our works because we are his kids. That is a freeing thought.

The Dodgers need one more victory to win the World Series. Freddie has hit a home run in every single World Series game so far, breaking a previous record. That is pretty impressive, but because of his dad’s love and dedication to him, Freddie is free to give all credit away. And I have a feeling his dad will love him whether the Dodgers win this World Series or not. As for this Dodgers fan, I will also love them no matter what, but I really hope they win this one!