For the first time since 2019, a National League player has hit 50 home runs. Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson swatted his MLB-leading 49th and 50th homers of the season in the second game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies (GameTracker). He’s the first NL player with 50 homers since New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso hit a rookie record 53 in 2019.
Here is Olson’s 50th home run of the season. His previous career high was the 39 homers he hit with the Oakland Athletics in 2021.
Olson is one home run behind Andruw Jones’ franchise record 51 homers set in 2005. The great Hank Aaron never hit more than 47 home runs in a season in his career, ditto Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews. Chipper Jones topped out at 45 home runs in 1999.
The Braves, as a team, entered Monday’s doubleheader with 273 home runs, far and away the most in baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a distant second with 222. Atlanta can break the single-season home run record (307 by the 2019 Minnesota Twins).
Los Angeles Angels wunderkind Shohei Ohtani is second on the home run leaderboard this season with 44. Alonso has 43 and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has 43 home runs each. They are the only other players with 40 so far this year.
New York Yankees franchise player Aaron Judge hit an American League record 62 home runs a year ago.
