In the 148 years that the Atlanta Braves have been a professional baseball franchise, just one player has hit 52 or more home runs in a season.
That player? First baseman Matt Olson. That season? 2023.
On Saturday afternoon in Miami, Olson broke Andruw Jones’ single-season record of 51 home runs, set in 2005, with a game-tying solo home run in the top of the sixth inning.
HISTORY. @mattolson21 now holds the single-season franchise record for home runs! pic.twitter.com/9gGbrACemg
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 16, 2023
Shortly after Olson’s home run, the Braves tweeted a congratulatory message from Jones.
“Hey Matt congrats on breaking the Braves’ single-season home run record. I didn’t think it was going to last this long. But I’ve been pulling for you all season long. I’m happy you got it done. Congrats. I’m proud of you, man,” the five-time All-Star and Braves Hall of Famer said.
The Braves acquired Olson in a trade with the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2022 season. Olson has hit 86 home runs so far in his first two seasons in Atlanta and was named to the 2023 All-Star team, his second career selection.
If Olson can hit at least three more home runs in the season’s final two weeks, he would be the first National League player to hit 55 or more home runs since Giancarlo Stanton eclipsed the mark for the Miami Marlins in 2017. Stanton won the MVP that season and was traded to the New York Yankees in the offseason.
