Freddie Freeman, who entered the season already thinking about his long‑term future with the Dodgers, delivered a milestone moment on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, hitting his 100th home run as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves, the club he spent the first 12 seasons of his career with. The veteran first baseman provided the decisive swing in a tightly played series opener between two National League contenders.
After the game, Freeman reflected on his approach at the plate and the work behind his recent form. “I haven’t done that in a month,” Freeman said, according to MLB.com. “To put a swing like that … obviously, my work has been better the last few days.”
The sixth-inning solo home run off Chris Sale gave the Dodgers key insurance and continued Freeman’s strong production against his former team. Since joining Los Angeles, he has posted six home runs and a .977 OPS versus the Braves, maintaining consistent impact in one of the most closely followed matchups of the season.
Freeman credits small mechanical adjustment for improved timing
Freeman’s recent success has been tied to a subtle mechanical change introduced during a previous series in Houston. He has incorporated a foot turn in his stance to help keep his hips closed longer, allowing him to track pitches deeper into the strike zone.
Freddie Freeman #5 of the Dodgers looks on during the vs Astros. Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
The adjustment has not required a full overhaul of his approach, but rather a refinement designed to improve timing and consistency. That focus on small corrections has helped him stabilize his swing during stretches of uneven production earlier in the season.
“I’ve always done little tweaks mentally [and] externally,” Freeman said. “This time, I just did a foot turn. I’ve thought sometimes you got to think differently up in the box. And I went with a foot turn in. And it’s worked.”
Dodgers combine pitching depth and timely offense in win over Braves
While Freeman’s homer highlighted the night, Los Angeles also delivered a complete team performance. Emmet Sheehan provided a solid start, striking out seven batters over 4 1/3 innings while allowing just one earned run against a potent Atlanta lineup.
The bullpen followed with 4 2/3 scoreless innings, with Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Will Klein, and Brock Stewart combining to limit the Braves to just three hits in the final frames. Tanner Scott closed out the win in the ninth inning.
Offensively, the Dodgers built early support through execution, as Tucker drove in Teoscar Hernandez in the second inning and Shohei Ohtani added an RBI single in the fifth after a defensive error extended the inning.
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For Freeman, the milestone home run served as both a personal achievement and a key moment in a low-scoring win that reflected the Dodgers’ ability to execute in all phases against elite competition.
