The slumping Braves have been mired in quite the rut of late—they managed just a single hit in Sunday’s doubleheader loss to Arizona—so players have taken it on themselves to shake things up, hoping to restore the team’s mojo through any means necessary. For instance, shortstop Dansby Swanson borrowed a page from Kyrie Irving by burning sage throughout Truist Park while last year’s National League MVP Freddie Freeman decided to roll the dice with new walkup music.
For years, Freeman has walked up to “Let the Drummer Kick” by Citizen Cope, but he went with a different tune Tuesday against the Cubs, entering to “NI BIEN NI MAL” by Puerto Rican reggaeton artist and recent WrestleMania participant Bad Bunny. The track was apparently hand-selected by Freeman’s oldest son Charlie, who was thrilled to hear his song play over the stadium speakers. This moment of sheer exuberance was captured by Freeman’s wife Chelsea, who posted the clip to social media.
Bad Bunny is an interesting genre and artist choice for a four-year-old (we were expecting something more in the realm of “Baby Shark”), but the music seemed to bring Freeman good luck. The 31-year-old slugger reached base in three of his five trips to the dish with a single and two walks in Atlanta’s 5-0 victory, moving the Braves within a half-game of the division-leading Mets in the NL East. Freeman, who, in lieu of an extension, will become a free agent this offseason, hasn’t hit for average in the early going (.213 through 80 at-bats), though he’s been productive on the power front with six homers and is also among the league leaders in walks with 19 free passes.
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