{"id":154435,"date":"2026-02-20T10:46:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T10:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435"},"modified":"2026-02-20T10:47:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T10:47:11","slug":"154435","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"<article id=\"post-2464\" class=\"post-2464 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Amidst a generational shift in baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman has delivered a shocking yet respectful statement about legend Clayton Kershaw\u2014who recently announced his retirement after the 2025 season and is considered one of the greatest pitchers in Dodgers history. Freeman candidly admitted that Kershaw\u2019s absence at Spring Training was \u201cunbelievable\u201d and acknowledged Kershaw\u2019s profound influence not only in Los Angeles but across MLB, creating a strong emotional response within the baseball community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<p>Freeman, who is still aiming for big career goals such as playing in every 162-game season and continuing to pursue impressive personal milestones, has won numerous titles with the Dodgers and experienced historic moments, but it was Kershaw\u2019s absence\u2014another Dodgers icon\u2014that prompted him to express his feelings so genuinely.<\/p>\n<p>Kershaw, who announced his retirement after the 2025 season, is one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history. He won three Cy Young awards, was a symbol of consistency and dominance for many years, and was considered a strong Hall of Fame contender after the end of his illustrious career.<\/p>\n<p>With 18 seasons of dedicated service to the Dodgers, Kershaw was not only a superb pitcher but also a role model for the younger generation: perseverance, dedication, and adaptability at the highest level. His legacy is deeply ingrained in Dodgers culture and MLB as a whole.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/shape\/cover\/sport\/https-3A-2F-2Fdodgersway-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2022-2F10-2F1412582466-850x560-5bbd93ed3cb61336616c819d050a9558.jpg\" alt=\"Clayton Kershaw reveals 'eye-opening' talk with Freddie Freeman after emotional Braves series\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Freeman, known for his calm demeanor and respectful attitude towards opponents, said that Kershaw was an indispensable part of the Dodgers team for many years. His confession surprised fans \u2014 because even at the peak of his career with numerous titles, Freeman still held deep respect for his \u201csenior\u201d who had led the team through various stages.<\/p>\n<p>Freeman shared that even though Kershaw had begun a new chapter in his life, his influence \u2014 from his daily training and fighting spirit to his role as an icon for the entire organization \u2014 remained evident in all aspects of the Dodgers\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-6\"><\/div>\n<p>The image of Kershaw and Freeman playing together for the Dodgers was an unforgettable memory for fans. The combination of a genius pitcher and a veteran slugger brought the Dodgers many memorable moments \u2014 from crucial games to spectacular individual performances.<\/p>\n<p>Although Kershaw is no longer present at practice this year, the interaction between the two players in the past is still remembered with reverence. And now, as Freeman shares his heartfelt thoughts on Kershaw\u2019s \u201cabsence,\u201d the baseball community is once again witnessing a connection between generations\u2014from legend to current star.<\/p>\n<p>Freeman\u2019s words brought back memories of Kershaw\u2019s greatest moments\u2014such as crucial victories, displays of resilience under pressure, and leadership on and off the field. Kershaw\u2019s career, though over, remains vital to how the Dodgers built their identity.<\/p>\n<p>Freeman not only showed respect for a former teammate but also emphasized that baseball is a sport where legacy and competitive spirit are more important than statistics. And Kershaw\u2014with a career that has become legendary\u2014remains a part of that legacy.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately following Freeman\u2019s statement, the Dodgers fan community and neutral fans on social media erupted with a range of reactions \u2014 from being moved by the respect shown between the two icons, to debating how Kershaw deserved to be honored in baseball history. Many called it \u201cone of the most beautiful tributes a current player could give to a legend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dodgerblue.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Phil-Bickford-Bob-Geren-Freddie-Freeman-Clayton-Kershaw-Dave-Roberts.jpg\" alt=\"Clayton Kershaw Hopes Dodgers Are Not 'Second Fiddle' For Freddie Freeman\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As MLB enters the 2026 season, Freeman \u2014 who is still aiming to play all 162 games and reach milestones like 3,000 hits in his career \u2014 continues to be a key star for the Dodgers. His combination of respect for the past and ambition for the future has led experts to highly value the professional and emotional role Freeman brings to the team.<\/p>\n<p>Freddie Freeman\u2019s latest statement is not only a reminder of one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history \u2014 Clayton Kershaw \u2014 but also a testament to the deep connection between generations of players. When an icon retires, another star steps up to pay tribute, reminding us not only of their achievements on the basketball court, but also of the timeless spirit of sportsmanship.<\/p>\n<p>And in the upcoming explosive 2026 season, that respect will continue to inspire both the Dodgers team and fans around the world.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-tags\"><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"author-box clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amidst a generational shift in baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman has delivered a shocking yet respectful statement about legend Clayton Kershaw\u2014who recently announced his retirement&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":154436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-154435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Amidst a generational shift in baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman has delivered a shocking yet respectful statement about legend Clayton Kershaw\u2014who recently announced his retirement...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T10:46:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T10:47:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"KING\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"KING\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435\",\"name\":\"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-20T10:46:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T10:47:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":768},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83\",\"name\":\"KING\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"KING\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","og_description":"Amidst a generational shift in baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman has delivered a shocking yet respectful statement about legend Clayton Kershaw\u2014who recently announced his retirement...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-02-20T10:46:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-20T10:47:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"KING","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"KING","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435","name":"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47 - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-20T10:46:57+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-20T10:47:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-15.jpg","width":768,"height":768},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=154435#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\ud83d\udea8 REPORT FREDDIE FREEMAN MOVES FANS TO TEARS AS HE ACKNOWLEDGES CLAYTON KERSHAW\u2019S IRREPLACEABLE ABSENCE, a heartfelt moment that echoes through the Dodgers clubhouse and reminds the baseball world how much the legendary ace meant to Los Angeles. \ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83","name":"KING","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"KING"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com"],"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=154435"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154438,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154435\/revisions\/154438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/154436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=154435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=154435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=154435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}