Major leagues:
Freddie Freeman expected to be emotional during his anticipated return to Atlanta.
He wasn’t prepared for the flood of feelings – and tears – that came before his first game back as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
A rush of them forced him to walk out of his pregame news conference before it began. Freeman had to gather himself several times when discussing his continued love for the Braves and Atlanta. He then questioned how he would make it through the three-game series.
“I don’t even know how I’m going to get through this weekend,” Freeman said.
Receiving his 2021 World Series championship ring, presented by Braves manager Brian Snitker in a pregame ceremony, produced more emotions from Freeman. Following a tribute video to Freeman, he made a slow walk to the field to join Snitker, who stood beside the World Series trophy in front of the mound.
Braves fans stood and cheered, some chanting “Freddie! Freddie!” Freeman answered by removing his cap and raising both arms to the fans. Freeman hugged Snitker twice, including once after putting on his ring. He grinned and gave the ring a kiss.
Minutes later, Freeman held up his batting helmet to the fans following another ovation before his first-inning at-bat. Braves right-hander Ian Anderson walked Freeman, who later scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Turner for a 2-0 lead. Freeman struck out in the second inning.
National League
N.Y. Mets 5, Miami 3: Francisco Lindor homered, doubled and drove in four runs to lead the New York Mets past the Miami Marlins, 5-3.
Mark Canha also went deep and Taijuan Walker pitched six-plus innings of three-run ball for the NL East leaders. Walker (6-2) allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out five.
All three runners scored on Lindor’s bases-loaded double in the sixth that gave New York a 5-2 lead.
Miami starter Sandy Alcantara (7-3), who entered with a 1.72 ERA, gave up five runs – four earned – and six hits in seven innings. The right-hander has gone at least seven innings in nine straight outings.
American League
Houston 3, N.Y. Yankees 1: Justin Verlander pitched four-hit ball over seven innings, Kyle Tucker hit a three-run homer and the Houston Astros beat the Yankees 3-1 to stop New York’s 15-game home winning streak.
Hours after Aaron Judge agreed to a $19 million, one-year contract with the Yankees that avoided an arbitration hearing, New York was greeted with loud ovations by just its third home sellout crowd this season. Judge went 0 for 4 as the major league-best Yankees (52-19) lost for just the fourth time in their last 23 games overall.
With wife Kate Upton watching from a first-row seat behind the plate, Verlander (9-3) averaged 95.5 mph with his fastball, up from 94.8 mph coming in during his first season since Tommy John surgery. The 39-year-old right-hander, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, struck out three and walked one, lowering his ERA to 2.22.
New York got its run in the sixth when Giancarlo Stanton hit an opposite-field drive into the right field second deck for the second night in a row, his 16th home run this season.
Phil Maton pitched out of trouble in the eighth, striking out Judge on a curveball with one on, and Stanton and Josh Donaldson, both on sliders, to strand two runners.
Rafael Montero, pitching for a third straight day for the first time this season, walked Aaron Hicks with one out and pinch-hitter Matt Carpenter with two outs. Montero retired DJ LeMahieu on a groundout for his fifth save.
Perez has surgery: Royals catcher Salvador Perez had surgery on his left thumb Friday and was placed on the 10-day injured list.
The operation repaired the ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb, and he’s expected to need eight weeks to recover, manager Mike Matheny said.
“We will use that (eight-week timeline) as a template right now, but you always have to wait and see how he feels, how the recovery starts to go,” Matheny said.
“Normally, when I hear anything about the thumb, and you hear surgery, I was anticipating we wouldn’t have him the rest of the season, so anything we that are hearing and sooner than that is good news for us.”
The 32-year-old Perez missed nine games with a left thumb sprain earlier this season, then left a victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday with the UCL issue.
A seven-time All-Star, Perez is hitting a career-worst .211 with 11 home runs a year after leading the majors with 48 homers and 121 RBI.