Can Matt Olsen (29, Atlanta Braves) beat Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels) in a home run competition?
Olsen hit two homers in the 2023 MLB home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 21st (Korean time). Recording No. 31-32 of the season, he kept second place alone in all major league homers, trailing Ohtani (35), the leader in this category, with a gap of three. Lewis Robert Jr. (Chicago White Sox) is third with 28 home runs, and Mookie Betts (LA Dodgers) is fourth with 27.
Olsen, who started as the Braves’ fourth batter and first baseman, hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning with the team trailing 1-4. He caught a fastball from opposing starting pitcher Jack Gallen from third base safely and hit it over the middle wall of True East Park, his home stadium.바카라사이트
The Braves, who trailed 3-4, gave up one run in the top of the 8th inning to make it 3-5, but at the end of the 8th inning, third batter Austin Riley hit a 3-run homer to turn the game around 6-5. Olson, who appeared as a follow-up hitter, caught a fastball thrown by third pitcher Kyle Nelson and put it into the right side of the crowd. The Braves won 7-5 and kept the lead in the National League East (62-33).
Olsen, who hit consecutive home runs, recorded multiple home runs in 14 games since the match against the Miami Marlins on the 1st. The result on the 21st was 2 hits in 4 at-bats (2 homers), 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. A right-handed lefty, Olsen was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 1st round, 47th pick, in the 2012 draft. In 2017, the second year of his major league debut, he drew attention by hitting 24 home runs in only 59 games. 39 home runs in 2021 is the most individual home runs in a season. As soon as he moved to the Braves last year, he played all 162 games and hit 34 homers. Olsen hit 32 home runs in 95 games played by the team this year as well. If this trend continues, he can expect 50 home runs.
Olsen’s physique (196 cm, 102 kg) is slightly larger than Ohtani (193 cm, 95 kg), who was born in Japan. If Aaron Judge (201cm, 127kg) of the New York Yankees, who was the home run king last year (62), is a typical ‘power hitter’, then Olsen is the type who swings the bat wide and sends the ball away. His career batting average is 0.250, and his batting average this year is 0.258, and his hitting accuracy is poor. Instead, he is strong against chances. Olsen is tied for the lead in RBI (80) this season with Adolis Garcia (Texas Rangers). Ohtani (76 RBIs) is third. Olsen’s annual salary this year is $21 million (about 26.9 billion won), and from 2024 to 2029, he is guaranteed $22 million (about 28.2 billion won) annually.