A hometown kid is taking baseball’s biggest stage, and Lexington is rallying behind him.
Sal Frelick, a Lexington High School and Boston College standout who now plays right field for the Milwaukee Brewers, made his World Series debut Friday night.
Fans gathered at Craft Food Halls in Lexington for Game 1, where custom shirts featuring Frelick’s No. 10 were handed out as the crowd prepared to watch the hometown star.
“No matter what the outcome is, he’s going to make everyone proud,” Matt Leppen of Craft Food Halls said.
Frelick, 26, was a three-sport star at Lexington High before graduating in 2018 and continuing his career at Boston College. The Brewers selected him 15th overall in the 2021 draft. Two years later, he reached the majors and has since become a Gold Glove-winning right fielder for Milwaukee.
“It’s something that every kid dreams from the time they step on the field from preball and Little League, and you’re like, ‘I want go to the World Series,’ and he’s doing it,” former Lexington Select Board member Suzie Barry said.
Support for Frelick can be seen across town. Worthen Road was renamed Sal Frelick Way for the week, and the gazebo at Hastings Park, near Lexington High School, was lit in Brewers blue and gold.
Barry, who has worked closely with Frelick and his family over the past couple years, said Frelick makes a significant donation to youth athletics in Lexington every year.
“He’s never lost sight of where he came from,” Barry said. “I mean, he is just so dedicated, and he is a great all-around person and athlete.”
Barry added, “He’s quiet. There’s no ego about him.”
Cleve Coats, a former Massachusetts State Police trooper, said Frelick made an impression during his football days at Lexington High.
“He was a senior captain and would always make time to stop to talk to little kids,” Coats said. “I’m with the police detail there; he would always come over and shake our hands on the ropeline.”
For Lexington fans, Frelick’s World Series run is giving the town a reason to embrace October baseball, even if it isn’t the Red Sox.
Asked whether a fan could bring themselves to wear Brewers gear, one person joked, “It’s a National League team, so it’s the best thing.”
Leppen compared the atmosphere around Frelick’s run to the energy of the FIFA World Cup but said this one hits closer to home.
“It matters to the local community because it’s so much more close to us,” Leppen said. “You know, Sal Frelick is a legend, so to have him on a big screen and be together and cheer him on, it’s a blessing.”
The Brewers are trying to win their first World Series and have not reached the Fall Classic since 1982. First pitch for Game 1 against the Rays is at 8 p.m.
People in Lexington said they’ll be locked in throughout the series, and town leaders said there will be a huge celebration if Frelick and the Brewers win it all.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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