Freddie Freeman was free for a hug while in the middle of a game between his Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday.
In what has become a viral moment, Freeman got an unexpected hug from Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte during the second inning of the game. Freeman was standing on first base and tried to go for second base after Dodgers third baseman Santiago Espinal tapped a grounder to second. Marte scooped up the ball and simply extended his arms to Freeman.
The former National League Most Valuable Player later opened up about what happened.
“Well, I stopped and I was like, is there any way around this?” Freeman said. “If I go out of the baseline, I’m out. If I run back, I’ll just run a second. So, he gave me a little, you know, ‘Come here.’ I said, ‘All right.’ You know, let’s just do it. And I didn’t think I’d ever be a part of a hug out on the baseball field.”
You can watch the play and his reaction to Marte’s gesture here, via Dodgers Nation.
Freddie Freeman approves Ketel Marte asking for him a hug to tag him out yesterday 😂
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) March 29, 2026
🎥: @SportsNetLA pic.twitter.com/LNvhH5ju9M
Freeman is used to dishing out hugs on the baseball field, mostly while celebrating success. He’s been a part of plenty of them during his time with the Dodgers, having helped the team win two World Series in each of the last two seasons.
But getting a hug from a divisional rival, not even a week into a new season, was something different — but a welcome — experience for Freeman.
