PHILADELPHIA — Matt Olson tied the Braves‘ single-season home run record with 51, matching Andruw Jones’ mark with a solo shot as Atlanta beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 in 10 innings Tuesday night to move to the cusp of the NL East title.
Olson hit the first pitch he saw from starter Zack Wheeler in the fourth inning into the left-field seats. The fan who caught the ball threw it back onto the field. Olson hit two homers a night earlier against the Phillies, and the milestone 50th had to be retrieved from a fan by Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber.
Jones hit 51 homers in 2005.
“way to go @mattolson21 proud of you keep it going 60?” Jones wrote on Xthe social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Braves can wrap up their sixth straight division crown with a win Wednesday over the Phillies. Atlanta is already guaranteed a playoff spot.
It was Olson’s sixth home run against the Phillies, breaking a tie with the Cincinnati Reds for his most against any team this season. Olson, who has 128 RBIs, has 11 homers in 18 career games at Citizens Bank Park.
Olson, who also has a 10-game hitting streak, entered the game on pace for 56 homers and 143 RBIs. He is just one of 15 players since 2000 to reach the 50-homer mark and the first left-handed hitter in the NL to hit 50 since Prince Fielder in 2007.
Olson never hit more than 39 homers in a season before this year. He now has eight home runs for the month of September in just 12 games.
Jones and Olson are the only Braves to hit 50 home runs in a season.
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
