The Atlanta Braves ended their two-game losing streak on May 26 after beating the Boston Red Sox 7-6 at Fenway Park in the beginning of a three-game series. Matt Olson proved again why he’s been one of the Braves’ best parts of their lineup.
Olson may have only gone 1-for-4 on the evening, but his two-run home run in the top of the fifth was more than just about tying the game for Atlanta.
Matt Olson Passes Braves Legend David Justice With Latest Home Run
The homer was Olson’s 16th of the season, but the number also carried significance in Braves franchise history.
According to Braves reporter Barrett Sallee, Olson’s blast was the 161st home run of his Braves career, pushing him past franchise legend David Justice for 16th on Atlanta’s all-time home run leaderboard.
Justice spent the majority of his career in Atlanta, playing eight seasons before then landing with the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and finally the Oakland Athletics.
Sallee also noted the homer traveled 428 feet and came off Olson’s bat at 105 mph. It was Olson’s first home run since May 10 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The swing itself also drew praise from former Braves beat writer David O’Brien.
“There aren’t many prettier swings than Matt Olson’s long, powerful stroke squaring up and lifting an inside fastball that’s around the knees,” O’Brien wrote on X.
Olson now finds himself continuing to climb one of the more impressive lists in franchise history while still in the middle of his prime years with Atlanta.
Ironically, he’s also chasing several current teammates on the same leaderboard.
Ozzie Albies currently sits No. 15 in franchise history with 165 career home runs and has already hit eight this season. Olson is also gaining ground on Austin Riley, who ranks 13th with 177 (8), while Ronald Acuña Jr. (2) sits 11th all-time with 188.
Hank Aaron, of course, leads the Braves in all-time home runs, with 733, playing 21 seasons in Atlanta.
Braves Continue Historic Start to 2026 Season
Olson’s resurgence at the plate comes at a time when the Braves continue looking like the best team in baseball.
Atlanta improved to 37-18 with the win over Boston and now owns an 8.5-game lead over the Washington Nationals in the NL East, currently the largest division lead in Major League Baseball.
The start is also putting the Braves in rare historical company.
According to Braves reporter Grant McAuley, only five other Braves teams in franchise history have started a season 37-18 or better. The others came in 2003, 1998, 1997, 1996 and 1953.
Several of those teams went on to become some of the most memorable Braves clubs ever assembled, particularly the dominant late-1990s teams that helped establish Atlanta’s dynasty era. Only the 1996 team made the World Series, though, losing to the New York Yankees’, 4-2.
Nevertheless, the 2026 Braves are beginning to place themselves into similar conversations.
And if Olson continues delivering the kind of production he showed Tuesday night at Fenway Park, he’ll likely continue climbing the Braves’ all-time history books while helping Atlanta chase something much bigger later this season.
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