Can Matt Olson (29-Atlanta Braves) win the home run race against Shohei Ohtani (29-LA Angels)?
Olson hit two home runs in the Braves’ 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on 21 July (ET). With 31-32 on the season, he remains tied for second in the majors in home runs, three behind leader Ohtani (35). Louis Robert Jr. (Chicago White Sox) is third with 28 home runs and Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers) is fourth with 27.
Olson, batting fourth and starting at first base for the Braves, hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning when they trailed 4-1. With the bases loaded, he took a fastball from opposing starter Zach Gallon and sent it over the centre-field fence at his home stadium, Truiste Park.
Trailing 3-4, the Braves gave up a run in the top of the eighth to make it 3-5, but a three-run homer by No. 3 hitter Austin Riley in the bottom of the inning made it 6-5. Olson, who came up as the next batter, pulled a fastball from opposing third baseman Kyle Nelson and lined it into the right-field bleachers. The Braves won 7-5 and maintained their lead in the National League East (62-33).
Olson, who hit back-to-back homers, had a multi-homer game for the first time in 14 games since the first day against the Miami Marlins. He finished the day 4-for-4 with two homers, three RBIs and two runs scored. A right-handed hitter, Olson was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round, 47th overall, in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. In 2017, his second year in the majors, he made a splash by hitting 24 home runs in just 59 games. His 39 home runs in 2021 are his most in a single season. Last year, he hit 34 homers in all 162 games for the Braves. This year, Olson has already hit 32 homers in his first 95 games with the team. If he keeps this up, 50 homers is not out of the question.카지노
Olson’s physique (196 cm-102 kg) is slightly larger than the Japanese-born Ohtani (193 cm-95 kg). If New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge (201cm-127kg), last year’s home run leader (62), is a typical ‘power hitter’, Olson is the type of player who swings the bat hard and sends balls flying. With a career batting average of .250 and a .258 average this year, he is not very accurate. Instead, he’s strong at taking chances. Olson is tied with Adolis Garcia (Texas Rangers) for the team lead in RBIs this season (80). Ohtani (76 RBI) is third. Olson’s salary this year is $21 million, with $22 million guaranteed each year from 2024 to 2029.