Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is having himself a YEAR.
The "Big Bear", who struggled to a .081 batting average in the first month of the season, has rallied to a career-best performance.
Ozuna took Washington Nationals rookie pitcher Jackson Rutledge deep in the 3rd inning of today's series finale for his 39th homer of the season, a personal record for Ozuna. Coming at 107.8 off the bat and going a Statcast-estimated 432 feet, the homer tied today's game at five runs each.
The homer is Atlanta's 306th, tying the 2019 Yankees for 2nd most in MLB history and just one homer behind the 2019 Minnesota Twins.
Marcell's solidified the DH spot for Atlanta - after some early-season tinkering, he's held onto the DH job every game since early May. He's been taking pregame grounders at first bse, but a team official says off the record that he's not an emergency option at first base.
But whatever position he plays, as long as he has a bat in his hands every nine batters, everything's going to work out.
How to Watch the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals on Sunday, October 1st
Today's first pitch is set for 3:10 PM ET, with the game broadcast available locally on Bally Sports Southeast and nationally on MLB.TV. The radio call is available in the Atlanta metro area on 680 The Fan and across the Southeast on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.
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