“It’s been a good trip for my Dad and I and my stepmom” - Freddie Freeman reflects on special moment with family in Canada ahead of D’backs series

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman feels a special connection playing in Toronto, Canada. His mother Rosemary, a native, expired when he was young.

To pay tribute to his mom, Freeman continues to play for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classics. On Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1, snapping the latter's six-game winning streak.

Freeman’s father Fred and his stepmom were also present during the game at the Rogers Centre. Despite the Dodgers' loss, the seven-time All-Star shared a special moment with his dad by hitting a 425-foot home run, his second of the season, in the sixth inning.

“It is nice, especially here in Canada,” Freeman said (0:36). “I know he’s seen a few of them in his day, but being here in Toronto and in this special place for our family, I’m happy I was able to do that for him. It’s been a good, good trip for my dad and I and my stepmom.”

Freddie Freeman hadn’t hit a homer in nearly 27 games since March 28, so it was an extra sweet moment for him. When asked about his homer drought, Freeman said (1:34):

“Things are starting to more often be a good swing than feeling one good swing every couple days. Not trying to hit home runs. I don't care. I just know once the swing is there for being a good hitter, the power will come behind it."

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Freddie Freeman's swinging approach pays off with improved performance

Freddie Freeman took extra batting practice sessions for more consistency on the plate. He noted a turnaround in his performance over the past week (2:00).

“If I knew exactly, I would do the same thing every day and get lots of hits every day, but this game is hard sometimes and everything's kind of been working,” Freeman said.

“Just been kind of doing really, really slow, soft swings in BP and let(ting) the adrenaline of the game take the swing a little bit harder, and things have been, the last week, been a lot better."

The Los Angeles Dodgers, with an 18-12 record, are heading to the final part of their road trip. They start a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.