Peach Tree Times

For Braves player Freddie Freeman, bonding with his newborn twin sons was the perfect solution to turning around the season.

When the babies were born this past offseason, Freeman had to navigate the stress of spending Spring Training away from his sons. While the struggles carried into the regular season, Freeman told MLB, seeing them smile was just what he needed.

“I was up at like 5 o’clock, and I had them both in the double pillow you use when you have twins,” Freeman told MLB. “They both woke up at the same time. It was like the first time they had ever done it. I was doing like a choo-choo train around the room, and they were just cracking up and laughing. I was like, 'This is it. I’m good.' Then I just started hitting, hitting and hitting.”

Through early May, Freeman hit just .195 with a .733 OPS. The next month, through June, he continued the same path hitting a .224 with a .784 OPS, MLB states.

With these stats, MLB reports Freeman was feeling the pressure of negotiations amidst the beginning of a new contract-year. 

According to MLB, Freeman had the bonding incident with his sons in late May. After that, he ranked second in the NL with a .342 batting average and sixth with a .960 OPS, ending the season hitting .300 with 31 homers and an .896 OPS.