In 405 minor league innings from 1984 to 1986, Freeman walked an astounding 251 hitters–1.61 per inning. He struck out 251 during that stretch. Still, the Phils saw enough of Freeman to call him up to the majors. His first start was against the Pirates on Sept. 16, 1986. Freeman's first 2 innings were scoreless, but he walked a hitter in each inning. In the third, Freeman retired the first hitter and then gave up singles to 4 of the next 5 hitters. A passed ball and a sacrifice fly helped the Pirates and Freeman was done after 3 innings, trailing 3-0.
He got another start against the eventual World Series winning Mets on Sept. 21. Freeman went 7 innings, allowing just 1 run and 1 hit. But he walked 5 and struck out 6 and got his first major league win, 7-1. He had one more start and finished his first big league tour with more walks than strikeouts.
Freeman was back in the minors for all of 1987, and the walks kept on coming. He walked 62 in 95.2 innings between AA and AAA, with a combined record of 3-10 and a 5.64 ERA.
From 1988 to 1990, he went back and forth between Philadelphia and the minor leagues. With the Phillies, he walked 62 in 86.2 innings. He was traded to Atlanta in July 1990 for pitcher Joe Boever. The Braves made him a reliever and he achieved some level of control, walking 55 in 151.2 innings from 1990 to 1993.
The Braves released him late in 1993 and he signed with the Rockies, where he returned to the starting rotation. He had his best year in the majors in 1994, posting a 10-2 record with a sparkling 2.80 ERA, walking just 23 in 112 innings. But his control eluded him again in 1995 and 1996, when he walked 101 in 226 innings. He was waived by the Rockies in late August 1996 and pitched for the White Sox for the last month of the season.
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