Freddie Freeman Homers and Gets 4 Hits on His Birthday, Leading Dodgers Past Padres 11–2

Freddie Freeman (5) of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run home run in front of Brett Sullivan (29) of the San Diego Padres and umpire Jeremy Riggs, to take a 3–0 lead, during the third inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2023. Harry How/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—Freddie Freeman’s locker was flanked by 8-foot-high pillars of blue balloons. A hefty box of cookies and a birthday cake sat nearby, gifts from the Dodgers’ kitchen staff for the slugger with a sweet tooth.

“I’m a big snickerdoodle guy,” the seven-time All-Star from nearby Fountain Valley, Calif., said with a grin.