PHILADELPHIA — Matt Olson has tied the Atlanta Braves’ single-season home run record with 51, matching Andruw Jones’ mark with a solo shot against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night.
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. Olson hit two homers a night earlier against the Phillies, and the milestone 50th had to be retrieved from a fan.
Jones hit 51 homers 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.
🙌🏾way to go @mattolson21 proud of you keep it going 60? 🙏🏾 #ForTheA
— Andruw Jones (@andruwjones25) September 12, 2023
Olson’s homer tied the game 1-all. Atlanta needed to win Tuesday and Wednesday to clinch the National League East in Philadelphia. The Braves are already guaranteed a playoff spot.
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. He now has 8 home runs for the month of September in just 12 games.
Olson has 128 RBIs this season. He never hit more than 39 homers in a season before this year.
Jones and Olson are the only Braves to hit 50 home runs in a season.
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
