Dodgers star Freeman expects cold shoulder from fellow Canadians at World Series

Freddie Freeman is always happy to return to Toronto, even if Blue Jays fans might not give him a warm reception this time around.

Freeman is a dual Canadian-American citizen who played for Canada at the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics. However, he’s also one of the stars of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Blue Jays’ opponents in the World Series.

“I’m not so sure the Canadian fans, Blue Jays fans, will be cheering for me this time around like it was in the WBC the last couple of times,” Freeman said during a conference call with reporters. “But it is special.

“Every time I go there, I just have this feeling inside that I’m just a little bit closer to my mom. So I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited.”

Freeman’s father, Frederick, is from Windsor, Ont., and his late mother, Rosemary, was from Peterborough, Ont., but he was raised in Southern California after his parents moved to the United States for work. Freeman’s mother died of melanoma when he was 10.

He said that his father will be travelling to Toronto this week as Rogers Centre will host Games 1 and 2 of the World Series on Friday and Saturday.

“Every time I go there, I always get this little envelope in my locker, and it’s always like, my third cousin has found photos in their garage and they bring them to me,” said Freeman. “So I love going back to Toronto.

“It’s a special place for obviously, my family and I, and every time I go back there, I feel a little bit closer to my mom. I’m looking forward to getting there.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was taken aback that Freeman would even suggest Blue Jays fans would give him a hard time.

“‘I’m just a little confused. Why? He praises his country of birth, and he has played for Team Canada,” said Roberts. “He was traded here. So, yeah, he’s a baseball player. Loves the U.S., loves Canada. He’s a heck of a player, heck of a person. An even better person.

“But yeah, I don’t know what the Blue Jays fans have in store for him, but I don’t think he’ll be fazed by it.”

Freeman is a nine-time all-star who hit .295 for L.A. this past season with 24 home runs and 90 runs batted in. He’s hitting .231 with a home run and an RBI so far this post-season.

He’s a two-time World Series champion with the Atlanta Braves in 2021 and then with the Dodgers last season, when he was named series MVP.

Despite all his previous success in the post-season, Freeman isn’t underestimating the Blue Jays.

“When you have a whole country that’s behind one team, that’s pretty amazing,” said Freeman. “What they’ve done, they’ve invested in their team, into that stadium, the visiting clubhouse, they’ve redone, so they’ve put a lot into the Toronto Blue Jays.

“To just see the city come together and get to experience so much jubilation that they had (Monday), going to the World Series for the first time. I think it was 30-plus years; it’s an exciting time.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press