Tracking Matt Olson's Iron Man Streak: Braves Legend Surpassed

Matt Olson’s iron man streak reached a new milestone in the Atlanta Braves' 4-3 win over the Mets on Thursday. He played his 741st consecutive game, passing former Braves All-Star Dale Murphy on the all-time list. 

His streak is the 13th longest in MLB history and the longest going back to 1969. It’s the longest active streak, and it’s not even close. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is in second with 375 games, about half the length. 

Of these 741 games, 607 have been with the Braves. Once he plays 134 more straight games, he’ll have the franchise record as well. That will occur on the 93rd game of the 2026 season. 

The schedule for next season is not out yet, but when it does, we’ll be able to pinpoint an exact date. 

Olson shows day in and day out why he gets to extend his streak. He’s an All-Star for the third time in his career and the second time with the Braves. His 4.1 bWAR is the highest on the team this season. 

In 121 games played so far this season, he’s batting .262 with an .814 OPS, 19 home runs and 71 RBIs. His RBIs lead the team by 11. His 128 OPS+ is tied with Drake Baldwin for the second-highest on the team and only trails Ronald Acuña Jr. (180). 

Along with his production at the plate, he’s one of the top defenders on the team and one of the top defenders at his position in MLB. His 14 defensive runs saved (DRS) is the best in the league. 

He’s a solid favorite to win the Gold Glove, which he was a finalist for last season and has won twice before. 

His career at times feels like a bit of a roller coaster, but he’s out there for a reason. He provides a consistent veteran presence to the middle of the order and gets the job done. 

Other Iron Man Milestones Ahead

For starters, he’ll pass Pete Rose’s streak (745) next week on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at home against the Chicago White Sox. That’s the only player left to pass this season. 

Seventeen games into next season, he would pass Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox (798), and two games later, he would reach the 800-game plateau. He can also reach 900 consecutive games next season and be within striking distance of 1,000 games heading into 2027.

By then, he would pass the legendary Stan Musial’s streak of 895 games and lock in the eighth-longest iron man streak ever. 

For those wonder how long it will take to pass Cal Ripken Jr.'s record of 2,632 consecutive games played, he has 1,892 more to go. Olson would need to stick around until midway through his age 42 season in 2036.

Mark your calendars if you feel the need to. Going to take a guess that it would be in June of that year. There is a good chance you have nothing planned that far in advance yet.

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