Matt Olson is the new home run king of the Atlanta Braves.
On Saturday afternoon against the Miami Marlins, the Braves first baseman who replaced Freddie Freeman uncorked a 433-foot moonshot to centerfield in the top of the sixth inning. That was his MLB-best 52nd home run of the season. And with No. 52, Olson broke a tie in Braves franchise history for most homers in a single season, surpassing Andruw Jones.
Immediately after the dinger, the Braves posted a message from Jones to Olson congratulating the first baseman on breaking the franchise record.
"Hey Matt, congrats on breaking the Braves single-season home run record," Jones said. "Didn't think it was going to last this long, but I've been pulliing for you all season long. I'm happy you got it done. Congrats; I'm proud of you, man."
Matt Olson breaks Braves HR record: Andruw Jones sends warm congratulations
Jones' record stood for just shy of two decades in Braves history as the centerfielder -- whose jersey was retired by Atlanta earlier this year -- hit 51 home runs in the 2005 season. Olson, in just his second season with the franchise since Atlanta traded for him in the 2021-22 offseason, finally took that number down.
At the time, it seemed like Olson's record-setting homer might've been hugely important for the Braves too as it knotted the game against the Marlins up at 5-5. Unfortunately, the bullpen was not strong in the contest and gave up six runs thereafter, leading to an 11-5 loss for the Bravos.
Of course, the team can still celebrate Olson's record-breaking achievement knowing that they've already clinched the NL East prior to Saturday's game and are well on their way to finishing the regular season with the best record in the National League.
And if that's not enough, you have to believe that Olson will get hit in the feels just like fans were by Jones' congratulatory message.
