Freeman makes emotional return to Atlanta
Helps lead Dodgers over his former team
ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman was smiling after his long, emotional day.
At the end of a night that included a lot of tears, Freeman was happy because he felt good about showing his appreciation to Atlanta fans — and playing well for his new Los Angeles team.
Trea Turner had three hits, including a home run, Freeman reached base three times in his return to Atlanta and the Dodgers beat the Braves 4-1 on Friday in a rematch of the past two NL Championship Series.
“I’m exhausted, emotionally exhausted, but what a wonderful evening for my family,” said Freeman, who starred for Atlanta in 2021.
Freeman received standing ovations from the sellout crowd of 42,105 before the game and before his first at-bat. The longtime Braves star had one hit, a sixth-inning single. He walked twice and scored two runs.
“It’s hard to describe how I felt in that moment,” Freeman said of receiving his first ovation. “Just a lot of love.”
Freeman was presented his 2021 World Series ring by Braves manager Brian Snitker in a pregame ceremony. The slugger tipped his cap and raised his arms to the crowd and said he was also careful to spend as much time as possible signing autographs before the game.
Julio Urías (5-6) handed the Braves just their fourth loss in June, allowing one run on three hits in six innings.
ASTROS 3, YANKEES 1: In New York, Justin Verlander pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, Kyle Tucker hit a three-run homer and Houston beat the Yankees to stop New York’s 15-game home winning streak.
Hours after Aaron Judge agreed to a $19 million, one-year contract with the Yankees that avoided an arbitration hearing, New York was greeted with loud ovations by just its third home sellout crowd this season. Judge went 0 for 4 as the major leaguebest Yankees (52-19) lost for just the fourth time in their last 23 games overall.
Verlander (9-3) struck out three and walked one, lowering his ERA to 2.22.
METS 5, MARLINS 3: In Miami, Francisco Lindor homered, doubled and drove in four runs to lead New York past Miami.
Mark Canha also went deep and Taijuan Walker pitched six-plus innings of three-run ball for the NL East leaders.
Walker (6-2) allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out five. Edwin Díaz worked a scoreless ninth.
All three runners scored on Lindor’s bases-loaded double in the sixth that gave New York a 5-2 lead.
ORIOLES 4, WHITE SOX 1: In Chicago, Austin Voth and four relievers combined on a one-hitter as Baltimore beat Chicago.
Voth, normally a reliever, went three innings in his second start. He gave up an RBI double to Jake Burger in the second for Chicago’s only hit.
Joey Krehbiel (3-3) worked 2 1/3 perfect innings before Bryan Baker and Cionel Pérez each got four outs. Jorge López pitched the ninth for his 13th save.
RAYS 4, PIRATES 3 (10): In St. Petersburg, Fla., Harold Ramirez scored Vidal Brujan with a game-ending pinch-single in the 10th, lifting Tampa Bay over Pittsburgh.
Brujan took second as Tampa Bay’s automatic runner and stole third against Yerry De Los Santos (0-1) before Ramirez’s hit.
CUBS 3, CARDINALS 0: In St.
Louis, Kyle Hendricks carried a shutout into the eighth inning, Nico Hoerner homered and Chicago topped St. Louis.
Ian Happ also drove in a run for Chicago, which has won two of three.
Hendricks (3-6) improved to 13-3 in 25 lifetime starts against his NL Central rivals, his most victories against any team.
RED SOX 6, GUARDIANS 3: In Cleveland, Christian Arroyo hit a two-run homer in the seventh and had three RBIs in his return from the COVID-19 injured list, powering red-hot Boston.
Arroyo’s go-ahead homer to leftcenter off Bryan Shaw (3-1) gave the Red Sox a 4-2 lead, paving the way for their fifth straight win and moving them a season-high nine games over .500. Boston is 17-4 in June.
Nick Pivetta (8-5) allowed two runs in seven innings, scattering nine hits, in his first career outing against Cleveland. The righthander struck out four without a walk and is 8-1 with a 1.85 ERA over his last 10 starts.
ROCKIES 1, TWINS 0: In Minneapolis, Germán Márquez pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings and Colorado prevailed in its first trip to Minnesota since 2017.
Charlie Blackmon’s run-scoring fielder’s choice plated Connor Joe (two hits) in the sixth inning for the Rockies, who snapped a three-game skid.
ROYALS 3, ATHLETICS 1: In Kansas City, Mo., Zach Greinke tossed six innings of one-run ball, Edward Olivares hit two solo homers and KC beat Oakland.
Olivares belted homers to left field in his first two at-bats.
BLUE JAYS 9, BREWERS 4: In Milwaukee, Alejandro Kirk went 4 for 4 and homered for the third straight game before leaving with a bruised left hand in Toronto’s victory over Milwaukee.
Kirk appeared to get hit in the hand on a backswing from Jonathan Davis in the seventh. The catcher remained in the game for the rest of that at-bat before leaving at the same time the Blue Jays made a pitching change. The team said Kirk underwent precautionary X-rays that came back negative.
PADRES 1, PHILLIES 0: In San Diego, Austin Nola hit an RBI single off younger brother Aaron in the sixth inning, and San Diego beat Philadelphia.
It’s the first time since RBIs became an official stat in 1920 that a player had an RBI against his brother in a 1-0 victory, according to STATS.
NATIONALS 2, RANGERS 1: In Arlington, Texas, Josh Bell hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning and also had a triple and double while scoring Washington’s only other run as the Nationals won in their first interleague game at Texas in 17 years.
TIGERS 5, DIAMONDBACKS 1: In Phoenix, Javier Báez hit a grand slam in lifting Detroit over Arizona. It was his third straight game with a home run.