An even louder round of cheers erupted at Dodger Stadium when World Series MVP Freddie Freeman walked in with his wife and children.

Freeman was the hero of this year’s championship, hitting home runs in each of the first four games, including the first grand slam of the World Series in Game 1.

And that came after what had been an extremely challenging year for the first baseman off the field. His son Max was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and had a moment where he deteriorated rapidly and had to be rushed to the hospital. Dodgers fans and teammates supported their first baseman with #MaxStrong t-shirts. Max was later released and has been described as slowly improving.

On top of that, Freeman was recovering from an ankle injury and it was later revealed that he played in the World Series with torn rib cartilage.

“I only had one leg, but I have a whole group of guys that supported me all year long. What a special group,” Freeman said during the celebration at Dodger Stadium.

He paused to gather his emotions as the crowd chanted “Freddie! Freddie!”

“When I came back after my son got sick, you showed up for my family. That was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had on the field. I was very touched. I did everything I could to be on this field for you guys. “I’m glad I did it because now we have a championship.”

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“I can’t wait to run this again next year. Let’s go, Dodgers!”