ATLANTA -- Matt Olson experienced the thrill of showing off his infant son Owen when the Braves held family day at Truist Park after their June 1 game against the Red Sox. “I brought him in and showed him my locker,” the Braves' first baseman said. “I’m pretty excited for when he’ll be old enough to walk in after a win and give everybody knucks [fist bumps].” Olson and his wife, Nicole, welcomed their first child to the world in December. He was born at a healthy 10 pounds. “I was joking that [Georgia football coach] Kirby Smart was already calling to make [Owen] a left tackle,” Olson said. |
This will be a special Father’s Day for Olson, who is thrilled that his son will experience a childhood similar to the one he had while growing up in suburban Atlanta. This opportunity was created when the Braves acquired the 31-year-old from the A’s before the start of the 2022 season. The Atlanta area might have been the family’s offseason home, regardless of employer. But the chance to “be home” year-round has many advantages. “I think the most important thing in life is family and those relationships that you make with each other,” Olson said. “It's kind of cool to start your own, new section of the family. It's almost like you look at your life through their eyes a little bit, even though he’s just six months old.” Olson looks forward to seeing Owen develop the same lifelong fandom he has had for the Braves, Falcons and other Atlanta-area teams. The veteran was crushed by 2017's 28-3 Super Bowl disaster. But despite being a member of the A’s, he celebrated Atlanta's 2021 World Series win while on a golfing trip with fellow Braves fans. |
But for now, he is just enjoying the thrills of seeing an infant come to understand his surroundings. “I got a video yesterday of him just belly laughing,” Olson said. “Our dog loves chasing the water out of the hose when it gets sprayed. My wife's got our son strapped up to her chest, and she's spraying the water. The dog is chasing it. Owen is just dying laughing on her chest, like, you know, little things like that just kind of brighten our day.” Olson also now understands how children, especially when they’re young, can quickly erase any stress created by a tough day at the ballpark. “He doesn’t care what dad did that day,” Olson said. “He doesn’t care if you didn’t feel good at the plate or if you made a big error. He just wants Dad to be there.” |
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Ronald Acuña Jr. missed nearly two months of this season, but I still think there’s a good chance he’ll be elected as one of the National League’s starting outfielders for the All-Star Game, which will be held at Truist Park on July 15. • VOTE NOW: Pick this year's All-Star Game starters Acuña garnered the most ASG votes among all MLB players in 2023 and he garnered the most votes among NL candidates in 2022. Fans love the Braves right fielder and he has spent the past couple weeks showing he remains elite, even with two surgically-repaired anterior cruciate ligaments. Despite missing 49 games, Acuña’s 1.3 fWAR (Fangraphs’ Wins Above Replacement Model) is tied with Sean Murphy for the team’s fourth-best mark. The only players ahead of him are Olson (1.9), Austin Riley (1.7) and Drake Baldwin (1.5). Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and James Wood will all likely get strong consideration for the three available spots. But I think ballot history gives us reason to think a healthy Acuña will again be one of the top vote getters. |
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Who has the Braves' single-season record for most double-digit strikeout games without a walk? A. Greg Maddux B. Spencer Strider C. John Smoltz D. Spencer Schwellenbach |
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What Chris Sale did last year when everyone assumed his career was done was incredible. What he has done to put himself in line for a second straight NL Cy Young Award is perhaps even more impressive. Sale looked lost and upset when he posted a 6.17 ERA through his first five starts this season. Posting a 1.41 ERA over the nine starts that have followed has created further reason to believe he will one day be enshrined in Cooperstown. Within this nine-start stretch that began on April 25, Sale ranks second among NL pitchers in ERA, trailing only Paul Skenes’ 1.36 mark. His 57 1/3 innings trails only Spencer Schwellenbach (58 IP) and Skenes (59 2/3 IP). His 2.29 FIP ranks second only to Robbie Ray (1.75). Yeah, it takes more than just nine starts to win the Cy. But even with that horrific first month, Sale still ranks eighth among NL pitchers with a 2.79 ERA. Don’t count him out. That didn’t work out too well last year. |
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B. Spencer Strider Strider had four such games in 2023. Schwellenbach has had three such starts this year. No other Braves pitcher has ever done this more than twice in a season. Schwellenbach has already had five such games through his first 35 career starts. This matches Strider and Maddux for the second-most, trailing only Smoltz (10). |
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