Connect with us

Published

on

Andruw Jones had a hunch when the Atlanta Braves traded for Matt Olson in 2022 — then immediately signed him to a $168 million, eight-year contract — that his season home run record wouldn’t last long.

“I thought Matt would be the guy to break the record,” Jones said last weekend in Atlanta when his number was retired. “He’s just got that swing. I’m pulling for him, and hopefully he can break it.”

One more long ball this year, and Olson will be all alone in Atlanta’s record book.

Olson can set the franchise mark of 52 on Wednesday should he go deep when the Braves play the Philadelphia Phillies and try to clinch their sixth straight NL East title with a victory. Atlanta is already guaranteed a playoff spot.

For at least one night, he’s even with Jones at 51. Olson hit a solo shot in Atlanta’s 7-6 win over the Phillies in 10 innings on Tuesday, tying the team record Jones set in 2005.

“way to go @mattolson21 proud of you keep it going 60?” Jones wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Olson was raised in the Atlanta area and grew up a fan of Jones and the Braves.

“It’s a cool feeling,” Olson said. “I watched him growing up and know the kind of player he was. It’s cool to be mentioned with him.”

Olson hit the first pitch he saw from starter Zack Wheeler in the fourth inning into the left-field seats. The fan who caught the ball threw it back onto the field. It was Olson’s sixth home run against the Phillies, breaking a tie with the Cincinnati Reds for his most against any team this season. Olson has 11 homers in 18 career games at Citizens Bank Park.

“He’s a tough at-bat,” Olson said about Wheeler. “So to be able to get one off him is good.”

Olson hit two homers a night earlier against the Phillies, and the milestone 50th had to be retrieved from a fan.

Olson, the sixth player in franchise history with at least 80 extra-base hits, has 128 RBIs this season. He never hit more than 39 homers in a season before this year.

Hard to believe, but for a franchise that boasted Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Chipper Jones, Dale Murphy and a slew of other prodigious sluggers, Jones and Olson are the only Braves to hit 50 home runs in a season.

Olson, who also has a 10-game hitting streak, entered the game on pace for 56 homers and 143 RBIs. He is one of just 15 players since 2000 to reach the 50-homer mark and the first left-handed hitter in the NL to hit 50 since Prince Fielder in 2007.

Olson has eight home runs in 12 games in September.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Soto slams 426-foot HR in 1st at-bat with Mets

Published

on

By

Soto slams 426-foot HR in 1st at-bat with Mets

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Juan Soto homered in his first spring training at-bat for his new team, hitting a solo shot to left-center field in the first inning for the New York Mets against the Houston Astros on Saturday.

Soto signed a record 15-year, $765 million contract this offseason, moving across New York from the Yankees to the Mets.

He hit second in the order Saturday, between Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, and drilled a 426-foot homer on a 2-1 pitch from left-hander Colton Gordon. The following inning, Soto drove in another run with a ground ball.

Soto entered Saturday’s game with a career .302 average and 13 home runs in 86 spring training games.

Continue Reading

Sports

Tigers’ Baddoo to miss start of regular season

Published

on

By

Tigers' Baddoo to miss start of regular season

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand and will miss the start of the regular season.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Baddoo had more tests done after some continued wrist soreness since the start of spring training. Those tests revealed the hamate hook fracture in his right hand that was surgically repaired Thursday.

Baddoo, 26, who has been with the Tigers since 2021, is at spring training as a non-roster player. He was designated for assignment in December after Detroit signed veteran right-hander Alex Cobb to a $15 million, one-year contract. Baddoo cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Cobb is expected to miss the start of the season after an injection to treat hip inflammation that developed as the right-hander was throwing at the start of camp. He has had hip surgery twice.

Baddoo hit .137 with two homers and five RBIs in 31 games last season. The left-hander has a .226 career average with 28 homers and 103 RBI in 340 games.

After the Tigers acquired him from Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings in December 2020, Baddoo hit .259 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .330 on-base percentage in 124 games as a rookie in 2021. Those are all career bests.

Baddoo went into camp in a crowded outfield. The six outfielders on Detroit’s 40-man roster include three other left-handed hitters (Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows) and switch-hitter Wenceel Pérez. The other outfielders are right-handers Matt Vierling and Justyn-Henry Malloy.

Continue Reading

Sports

Dodgers’ Miller has no fracture after liner scare

Published

on

By

Dodgers' Miller has no fracture after liner scare

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller still had a bit of a headache but slept fine and felt much better a day after getting hit on the head by a line drive, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Roberts said he had spoken with Miller, who was still in concussion protocol after getting struck by a 105.5 mph liner hit by Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch in the first game of spring training Thursday.

The manager said Miller indicated that there was no fracture or any significant bruising.

“He said in his words, ‘I have a hard head.’ He was certainly in good spirits,” Roberts said.

Miller immediately fell to the ground while holding his head, but quickly got up on his knees as medical staff rushed onto the field. The 25-year-old right-hander was able to walk off the field on his own.

“He feels very confident that he can kind of pick up his throwing program soon,” said Roberts, who was unsure of that timing. “But he’s just got to keep going through the concussion protocol just to make sure that we stay on the right track.”

Miller entered spring training in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation. He had a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA over 13 starts last season, after going 11-4 with a 3.76 in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023.

Continue Reading

Trending