‘Better person than player’: Sal Frelick’s friends, coaches reflect on World Series heroics
· Yahoo Sports
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick delivered one of the biggest moments of World Series Game 2, and back home in Lexington, friends and former coaches were cheering on the hometown star.
Christian Rojas met Frelick through Lexington’s Best Buddies program shortly after Frelick graduated from high school. Their friendship has continued as Frelick went on to Boston College and became a Gold Glove-winning major league outfielder.
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“He’s a cool guy, a really, really awesome guy,” Rojas said.
When Frelick tied Game 2 with a home run, Rojas said he couldn’t contain his excitement.
“Oh my God, I was so pumped,” Rojas said. “I just jumped out of my couch. I was like, ‘Yes, Sal, that’s my guy!’”
Frelick has also stayed connected to Lexington High School. Adapted physical education teacher Tom Brincklow said Frelick returns each year to help with the school’s unified basketball program, where Rojas was Lexington High’s first captain. Brincklow said Frelick also donates New Balance gear to the school.
“There’s so many kids that love Sal in this town, and in Milwaukee he’s doing the same type of thing,” Brincklow said.
Frelick’s former Lexington High School baseball coach, Zack Friedman, said his work ethic stood out even as a freshman.
“You drive by the field an hour after practice is over and he’s out there taking ground balls,” Friedman said.
Frelick’s athletic success wasn’t limited to baseball. He also starred in hockey and football at Lexington High and was named the 2017 Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts as a quarterback.
Longtime Lexington football public address announcer Chuck Shaw said Frelick’s ability and work ethic were exceptional.
“I’ve never seen an athlete come through our program with the ability and mindset of Sal,” Shaw said.
Shaw also remembered Frelick as a teammate-first player.
“With Sal, it was never about Sal. It was about him and his teammates. They were all in it together,” Shaw said.
Frelick’s work continued at Boston College before the Brewers selected him 15th overall in the 2021 draft. Now, with Frelick playing on baseball’s biggest stage, the people who knew him in Lexington say they remain proud of the person as much as the player.
Lexington High School baseball coach Zack Friedman told Boston 25 Monday from his Tampa Bay hotel before game 3, “He really is a better person than he is a baseball player, and that makes it so special.”
Rojas had a simple message for his longtime friend: “We all love you... Let’s go Brewers!”
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