Matt Olson is amid the greatest power hitting season we’ve ever seen by a Braves player.
He ranks second in baseball with 39 home runs and is well on track to set the franchise record for home runs in a single season. Andruw Jones currently holds the record for his 2005 campaign when he launched 51 long balls. Olson is on pace to hit 56 but has been hotter than six shades of hell recently and could easily approach 60.
However, none of the long balls he’s hit this year is his favorite. It’s even better than Braves Country could imagine.
On Barstool’s Pardon My Take, Olson told Big Cat and PFT Commenter that his favorite home run came last year against the Mets, in the final series between the rivals in late September. The slugging lefty told the hosts his favorite followed Austin Riley‘s in the first game of the series against Jacob deGrom, which he said set the tone for the other two games.
Here are the back-to-back jacks Olson is referring to:
Everyone knows the rest of the story. The Braves would go on to sweep the Mets en route to completing a 10.5-game comeback to win their 5th straight NL East title. It virtually decimated New York because they’re on pace to lose 90 games this year while Atlanta is the best team in baseball on their way to a 6th straight division championship.
I highly recommend Braves fans go listen to the full interview with Matt Olson on Pardon My Take. It’s chock-full of hilarious stories, including him acknowledging they use to check in on Mets super fan Frank The Tank’s freakout videos. He also talks about replacing Freddie Freeman and much more. For Braves fans who haven’t already fallen in love with Olson, this interview will do it. He’s a guy’s guy and comes off as a regular dude, not a top five MVP candidate.
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