PHOENIX — Man, did he ever miss this.

The loud, animated voices in the Atlanta Braves clubhouse in the waning weeks of the regular season. The excitement and anticipation while listening to the scouting reports in the hitters’ meetings. Stepping onto the field knowing you could be playing into October.

And that nervousness when looking over your shoulder and seeing that out-of-town scoreboard, checking whether the Philadelphia Phillies won or lost.

“It’s such a sweet, sweet feeling,’’ says Braves All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has his team in first place, up 3½ games over Philadelphia in the NL East. “You come in every day with a chance to win every single game. You play knowing you have a chance to win your division and get to the postseason.

“And you get to scoreboard watch. It’s been a long, long time since I had this feeling.’’

Freeman, who’s having another MVP-caliber season, slowly grins.

“I am so glad I’m a part of this," he tells USA TODAY Sports. "I never wanted to leave even when things were going so bad. And I certainly don’t want to leave now.

“I want to be here forever. I hope I’m an Atlanta Brave for the rest of my life.’’

Freeman, who will be 29 on Wednesday, is the last man standing from the Braves’ glory days.

He is the carry-over from the teams that reached the postseason 17 times in 23 years. He arrived in 2010 when future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones was on the team. Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox was in his final season. Tim Hudson was the ace. Billy Wagner was the closer.

Freeman figured they’d keep winning forever. When the Braves offered an eight-year, $135 million contract in the spring of 2014 to be the cornerstone of the organization and face of the franchise, he never blinked.

The next thing he knew, everyone was gone but him. The Braves traded his best friend, All-Star outfielder Jason Heyward. They extended All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, shortstop Andrelton Simmons, and starter Julio Teheran, and then dumped them, too. They shipped out the Upton brothers, Justin and Melvin.

And Freeman was left alone on a team that averaged 93 losses in 2015-2017, finishing at least 23 games out of first place every year, and reaching depths they hadn’t experienced in 25 years.

“I came in and we were winning, and ultimately, we just hit rock bottom,’’ Freeman said. “It was tough. Guys were being traded all over the place. It was rough.

“We never lost 100 games, though. That was one of my goals, saying, 'Please, do not lose 100 games.’’’

When the Braves struggled, shuffling through managers and front office personnel, the biggest surprise was that Freeman stayed.

It wasn’t until former Braves general manager John Coppolella uttered the words to USA TODAY Sports in November 2015 - “I’d give my right arm before we trade Freddie Freeman’’ - that anyone believed he might stay.

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“I never wanted to leave, never once did it enter my mind,’’ Freeman said. “When a team drafts you, gives you an opportunity to get to the big leagues when you’re 20, gives you a contract when you’re 24, you owe everything to the Braves. That’s how I viewed it.

“My ultimate goal was to get this team into the playoffs as fast as I could.

“Now look at us. No one thought we could do this so quickly. It’s so sweet proving everybody wrong.’’

You walk around the Braves’ clubhouse, and they’ll tell you that no one is enjoying this ride more than Freeman. He brought his father and brother to Phoenix for their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks to share the thrill of this dramatic turnaround.

Freeman and the Braves haven't made the playoffs since 2013. Why, rookie sensation Ronald Acuna Jr. and All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies weren’t even born when the Braves won their World Series title in 1995.

Now, here is Freeman, who has played every game, hitting .303 with 21 homers and 83 RBI, bringing the Braves to the brink of greatness again.

“I’m so glad he never wanted to leave,’’ says Braves manager Brian Snitker, who’s in his 43rd year with the organization. “It makes a guy like that feel good he made the right decision.’’

The Braves believe this is just the start of an era in which they could become the Chicago Cubs or Houston Astros of the Southeast. The Cubs and Astros reached the playoffs in 2015, won the last two World Series, and still are among the elite championship contenders.

“All of the patience is paying off,’’ Freeman said. “You saw all of the talent we had coming the last few years, and now it’s arrived, with more on its way. I truly believe we can be like the Cubs. We’ve got the young talent, the pitchers, and a lot of money coming in here, too.

“I’m so proud to be a Brave. Really, I’ve always been proud. It’s just that winning again makes it feel even that much better.

“I sure missed that.’’

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