Matt Olson’s two-run shot in the eighth inning put a firm finish on Atlanta’s 6-2 Friday night win over Houston at Daikin Park, a result that locked up a postseason berth for the Braves.
The result
Olson’s homer was his 40th of the season, giving Atlanta breathing room late and placing the first baseman in select franchise company.
He is now one of only five Braves to post more than one 40-homer campaign. Hank Aaron did it eight times, Eddie Mathews four times, while Ronald Acuña Jr. and Andruw Jones each reached the mark twice. Olson has now done it twice as well.
“He’s really good,” center fielder Michael Harris II said. “He takes quality swings, and he does it year after year. He’s remarkably consistent.”
Olson already owns one of the biggest power seasons in Braves history. His 54 homers in 2023 set the franchise single-season record, moving past Jones’ 51 from 2005 and making Olson the second Atlanta player to reach 50 in a season.
Since 2018, his first full Major League season, Olson has hit 303 home runs. That trails only Kyle Schwarber’s 339, Aaron Judge’s 330 and Shohei Ohtani’s 310 over that span.
Friday’s win carried the larger reward for Atlanta: October baseball is secured. Olson’s latest long ball simply added another line to a résumé that keeps climbing alongside some of the club’s most familiar power hitters.
