Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson notched his MLB-best 51st home run of 2023 on Tuesday night to tie the franchise record for homers in a single season. Here’s what you need to know:
- The record-tying blast came against Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler in the top of the fourth inning. The 367-foot solo shot to left center tied the game 1-1.
- Olson ties the previous franchise mark set by Braves legend Andruw Jones in 2005.
- Olson — batting .280/.387/.619 this season — entered Tuesday six home runs ahead of Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani for the league lead.
Matt Olson ties Andruw Jones for the most HR (51) in a season in @Braves franchise history! pic.twitter.com/kOthvwHCsQ
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2023
Backstory
Olson is in his second season with Atlanta, who signed the first baseman to an eight-year, $168 million extension last March a day after acquiring him in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. The 29-year-old two-time All-Star also led the majors with 127 RBIs entering Tuesday. His previous career high for home runs in a season was 39 in 2021.
The Braves retired Jones’ No. 25 in a pregame ceremony Saturday. The 10-time Gold Glove winner tallied 368 of his 434 career home runs during his 12 seasons with Atlanta.
Required reading
(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
