For Dodgers' Freddie Freeman, the next chapter begins after his most difficult season

Following a suit-and-boots celebration, Freddie Freeman reflected on the most difficult months of his career. He bore the wounds both physically and mentally as the Los Angeles Dodgers won their 11th division title in 12 seasons.

“The last few months have been stressful, to say the least,” Freeman said as he donned his division champion t-shirt. Even that happened under less than ideal circumstances.

The first baseman, who has become a modern ironman, seemed relieved but also exhausted by everything. His right foot was in a boot, the result of spraining his right ankle while attempting to block an infield hit in the National League West decisive game.

The middle finger of his right hand remains broken. Those complaints paled in comparison to the emotional turmoil of this season. Sure, his self-proclaimed best friend in the sport, Jason Heyward, was let go just before the final month of the season. Freeman's search for his swing lasted most of the season and frustrated him.

Then in July, Freeman's youngest son, Maximus, was hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder – Guillain-Barré syndrome – that left him temporarily paralyzed.

The scars remain. They should and probably will stick around much longer than the Dodgers make it to the postseason.

“Every day it’s a mental challenge,” Freeman said last month as he stood outside the Dodgers dugout. “I'm mentally exhausted. It's not just about (Maximus) getting better. There's so much more to something like this. I could tell you that I need more than three days. I could probably tell you it would take me the rest of my life to (reset).”

Dave Roberts left the door open when he called.

Freeman had already returned this month. Maximus had been released from the hospital, a positive step but not the first in a stressful ordeal. Still, things had progressed to the point where Freeman was on the verge of returning. The day Maximus' ventilator was removed, Freeman began swinging. He received a flood of messages from across the sport, so he spent most of the last month thanking those who reached out.

When he returned, he noticed that every chair in the clubhouse was lined with T-shirts with words in superhero-like font #MaxStrong. Everyone wore them. Freeman used bats the following week, each with the names of his three children – Charlie, Brandon and Maximus – and the same message engraved on the barrel.

Then in August, Nolan Gorman hit a ground ball toward Freeman at first base.

The ball rolled around awkwardly, breaking Freeman's finger. To pour salt into the wound as the Dodgers faced a roster crisis, they opted to cut Heyward – who had been Freeman's closest ally, friend and roommate since growing up in the Atlanta Braves' minor league system changed.

Trying to play on the following days was painful: Freeman shot just 3 of 23 in that stretch before Roberts picked up the phone.

The Dodgers manager wanted Freeman to take a break. Before Max became ill, the former MVP had missed two games in three seasons with the Dodgers – both after the clinch. Convincing a man who has publicly made it his mission to play every day to step down is a task Roberts never looks forward to, but he delivered a message.

“It was the toughest year of his career, and rightly so,” said Roberts. “I have never seen a father and husband as present with their families during a season as he was. At some point, what he had to deal with took a toll on him.”

A break would do him good. And not just his finger.

“Of course I pushed back and said I didn’t need it,” Freeman said. “Then he just keeps talking.

“He is a wonderful person and that is because he cares. Even though I held back, he still had to use other ways to make it clear to me that, hey, not only did you fight hard, but it's been a long few months. Let's do this. It was for me. It's not the baseball Freddie, it's the person Freddie, and I think that's what made me say, “Yeah, you're right.”

The #MaxStrong jerseys worn by Freeman and his teammates. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Over the three nights, Freeman found new ways to turn off his brain. He stood in the cage but didn't swing. During the game, he ventured into the home bullpen. Instead of sticking to a strict pregame regimen — early defense on the field four hours before the first pitch, then three different rounds of at-bats — he did nothing. When he got home, he slept in his children's bed.

These three boys had already sufficiently changed his perspective. Freeman credited Charlie's birth in 2016 as the reason his career took off. Now his children were the focus as he found stability again.

“I didn’t know I needed it so much,” Freeman said. “But I definitely needed it.”

“The time off,” Roberts said, “recharged him.” … I marvel at how he handles all these things. Family, professional, driving and still efficient. I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

It's been a crazy year. Then there's the baseball ending. Freeman spent much of the first few months of the season searching. He constantly feels like he's “reducing” his swing and not allowing his barrel nearly enough time in the strike zone.

It has frustrated Freeman, particularly during a stretch this season when he was unable to perform his typical pregame batting routine after breaking his finger. As much as he has loosened the reins on his routine — he listened to suggestions from the Dodgers' training staff earlier this season that included some activation drills and a focus on more agility — hitting is hitting.

“I learned a lot this year,” Freeman said.

Despite these frustrations and despite everything, he has remained productive. An OPS of .854 is his lowest since 2015 – considering the low offensive environment this season, and his OPS+ of 143 is higher than in any of his last three full seasons in Atlanta.

The Dodgers will take it, and they need it — as long as his sprained ankle is fit to play as expected when the Dodgers open the postseason on Saturday.

Some emotional scars began to heal last month when the Dodgers hosted the Cleveland Guardians. Max's physical therapy progressed so well that he returned to Dodger Stadium to watch his father play for the first time since his hospitalization in July. Freeman's wife Chelsea carried him in her arms with Charlie and Brandon into a suite filled with #MaxStrong T-shirts.

They were joined by the doctors and pediatric critical care team at Children's Hospital of Orange County. Months earlier, they struggled to diagnose Max; Now they were invited and appeared with the Freemans at their first game at the stadium.

“It was a fantastic night,” Freeman said.

Max continued to make progress and last month traveled to Atlanta where the Dodgers played the Braves (and Charlie celebrated his 8th birthday).

A week ago, Chelsea Freeman released the latest update. It was a video of Max not only walking, but pushing himself into her arms.

Progress was steady. As Freeman stood on the field last week celebrating a division title but dealing the final blow in a season full of titles, he had perspective.

“If you look up and see the NL West champions and Max leaving now,” Freeman said, “everything is fine.”

(Top photo of Freeman: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)