Matt Olson just did something most players only dream about. He played his 895th straight game on Tuesday night against the Marlins. That number puts him in a tie for eighth place on the all-time list with Hall of Famer Stan Musial. It’s a statement about who Matt Olson really is for the Atlanta Braves.
Most fans see the home runs and the big contracts. They miss the daily grind that keeps him in the lineup. Olson started this streak back on May 2, 2021, while he was still with the Oakland A’s. Now he owns the longest active streak in all of Major League Baseball. The next closest guy, Pete Alonso, has 523 games. That is a huge gap. Throughout this entire run, Olson has started in every game except one. The only time he sat was a late-season slump against the Phillies on Sept. 24, 2022. Even then, he played the final two innings at first base to keep the streak alive.
More Than Just A Hitter
People talk about his bat, but the real story is his consistency. He’s dominating every single day. With a solo home run in Friday’s 6-2 win over the Nationals, Olson hit his 29th homer of the season. That marks the fifth time in five seasons he has reached that mark in Atlanta. He didn’t stop there. He blew past 29 with two more dingers on the weekend. With 31 homers, he now ranks fourth in the majors. His 58 extra-base hits are just one away from the major-league lead held by Yordan Alvarez.
Manager Walt Weiss knows what he is watching. He doesn’t hide it either. “He’s become one of the best players in the game, when you take everything into consideration,” Weiss said earlier this week about Olson. He serves as a leader within that clubhouse and shows up daily. Those words hit hard because they are true. Olson is second among active first basemen in OAA with 32. He leads the league in UZR with 23 and DRS with 91. He does it all while carrying the weight of replacing Freddie Freeman in his hometown.
The Road To History
Look at the numbers and you see a future legend in the making. Olson has 177 homers as a Brave. Should he maintain this pace, he will shatter Eddie Mathews’ franchise record of 190 homers set in the first five seasons. Mathews set that mark in the 1950s. Olson is doing it in the modern game. He has 319 career homers and turns 33 next March. Hitting 400 seems easy now. The 500 club is actually in reach if he stays healthy. That is a massive goal that very few players ever touch.
If Olson plays every game for the Braves for the fifth straight year, he will finish this season with 944 consecutive games. By the end of the 2027 season, he could own the seventh-longest streak in history. A couple of months into 2028, he could pass Miguel Tejada and own the fifth-longest streak. Olson and Tejada are the only players to build one of the 10 longest streaks this century. Cal Ripken Jr.’s record of 2,632 games ended in 1999 and still stands as the unbreakable mark. But Olson is chipping away at history right now. That story connects to Matt Olson’s Power Surge Keeps Braves Alive Before Deadline.
Does the national media care enough? Probably not. When asked about the attention he gets, Olson was blunt. “Honestly, my best answer is I don’t really care.” That is the mindset of a champion. He just plays. He just hits. He just shows up. That is what makes him a Brave. Is Olson the greatest first baseman in franchise history, or does Eddie Mathews still hold the crown? Let me know in the comments. The next game is Saturday against the Nationals, and Olson will be in the starting lineup.
