In sports, one play can define a career. It’s what peers and fans will remember long after retirement. Few experience that feeling. With a swing, Freddie Freeman created a historic moment in the biggest event of America’s most historic sport. His grand slam to win Game 1 of the 2024 World Series will live on forever—a Hollywood moment for the reigning world champions.
Freeman’s career isn’t over. He’s 35. Still, the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman is the subject of the latest MLB Network Presents. Driven: The Freddie Freeman Story will debut Thursday, July 17, at 8 p.m. ET. Dodgers fans and Atlanta Braves fans will eagerly tune in. Casual sports fans should check it out, too.
“I think there is a big human component to this documentary,” Driven’s coordinating producer Jed Tuminaro said in a phone interview with Awful Announcing. “Of course, it’s going to appeal to baseball fans, but there is such a human side to this from Freddie and his dad, Freddie and Chelsea, Freddie and his kids, Freddie and his teammates. If you’re watching it as a baseball fan, I think you’ll enjoy it. There are tons of moments. He’s a great player. There are those iconic moments he’s had on the field. But I think there’s also such a human side to this if you like human interest stories in general that transcend baseball.”
A huge part of the Freeman story, which is included in this 90-minute film, is the loss of his mother. Rosemary died due to melanoma when Freeman was just 10 years old. Last week, when the trailer for Driven was released, Freeman was visibly emotional.
His reaction didn’t surprise producer Paul Solga or Tuminaro.
“He’s always an emotional guy,” Solga said. “If he cries, he cries, whether that’s on the field or away from the field. He’s someone who wears his emotions on his sleeve. He has gone through a lot in his personal life. He has gone through a lot in his baseball life.”
To help tell the Freddie Freeman story, Driven has interviews with several people, including Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, as well as current teammate Mookie Betts and former Braves teammates Jason Heyward and Dansby Swanson.
The most memorable interview is with Freeman’s father, Fred Freeman. Fred Freeman faced the challenge of being a widower while also raising his children. The film crew spent over an hour with Fred Freeman at his home.
“He was so warm and so welcoming and so great to us,” Solga said. “He was very willing, very open. So much of (Freddie’s) love of the game comes from his father, sharing those moments of him throwing batting practice to him every day. Spending time with him, grieving together at the field. Freddie lost his mom, and Fred lost his wife. There is just that connection. So much of the story is a father-son story.”
Together, the family found a way to thrive. Freddie Freeman went from a second-round pick of the Braves to being a nine-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, a regular-season MVP, and a World Series MVP. Along the way, he battled illness from COVID-19 and injuries. His son Maximus was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Freeman has reached the top of his sport. But Tuminaro and Solga wanted to show that there is more to Freeman than a memorable home run.
“I think it shows just how much of a great person he is, how humble he is, how much he genuinely cares,” Tuminaro said. “We say it in the doc, but it’s not lip service. The appreciation, the bond, and the relationships that he has with his teammates matter so much to him. I think the second thing is the adversity. One of the reasons we wanted to do this doc is it’s not just a baseball story.”
Driven: The Freddie Freeman Story will debut Thursday, July 17, at 8 p.m. ET. It will re-air at 12:30 a.m. ET on MLB Network.