Matt Olson Ties Shohei Ohtani For The Major League Lead In Home Runs

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson has tied Los Angeles Angels superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani for the most home runs in the MLB with 40.

Mighty Matt!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/Iy4psavClI

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 10, 2023

Olson hit his 40th home run to straight away center against Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bailey Falter. Olson also leads the MLB in RBIs with now 101. He leads the RBI race by 12 and will likely sustain the pace of being the leader. Olson has been having a “breakout” season in his second season with the Atlanta Braves. Olson has been known for his power and now has a career high in home runs. The change of scenery from a pitcher friendly ballpark in Oakland to the NL East has done him some good.

Matt Olson was traded form the Oakland Athletics to the Atlanta Braves before the 2022 season and was the incoming replacement for Freddie Freeman. Freeman signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Olson has been a very nice consolation prize as he has been as good if not better than Freeman. However, Freeman is having one of his best seasons for the Dodgers.

Either way, the Braves have embraced Olson with open arms and him being from the Atlanta area makes all the more reason to root for him if you’re a Braves fan. Olson and the Braves are having a historic season. The braves currently have the best record in the MLB at 72-40 and are 10.5 games up on the division lead.

The Atlanta Braves are still favorites to win the World Series at +325 according to offshore sportsbooks.

It still remains to be seen if Olson can get ahead of Ohtani at seasons end. Ohtani is just that good. Olson does have the momentum now, but we can assume he’s got the hold into the Major League lead. The top four of the Braves lineup is considered the best in baseball. It’s awesome that Olson is thriving.