Page 182 - 2021 ATL Media Guide

MARCELL OZUNA
FRONT OFFICE • The Braves hit 10 home runs over 450 feet • His 56 RBI were the most by an Atlanta-era player
in 2020, and Ozuna was responsible for
(since 1966) in the first 60 games of a season,
four of them.
surpassing Andres Galarraga, who had 55 RBI in
• His longest was a 469-foot home run that period in 1998. The franchise's modern-era
off the Yankees' Gerrit Cole in Game 1 of record is 57 by Wally Berger in 1935.
a doubleheader on 8/26...That was the • Twenty-five of his RBI came with
second longest homer of his career. two outs, the most such RBI in the
MANAGER & STAFF runs on 9/1 at Boston, driving in six…He hit a Luke Voit had more (26)...Chicago-AL's
National League...Only New York-AL's
• He hit a single-game career-best three home
Eloy Jiménez also had 25. Ozuna hit
two-run homer in the first inning, a solo shot in
.333/.440/.619 (28-for-56) with two outs.
the seventh, and a three-run homer in the eighth.
• It was the 24th three-homer game by a • Ozuna was a two-time National League Player of
Braves player in the franchise’s modern the Week.
era (since 1900), and the first since • Received his first honor for the period of
MARCELL OZUNA Teammate Adam Duvall would record a seven games, going 13-for-28...His five
Matt Kemp on 4/29/17 at Milwaukee...
8/31-9/6... Batted .464/.531/1.143 over
three-homer effort in the Braves' next
homers tied for most in the majors, and
game, 9/2.
his 13 RBI paced the league outright.
• Ozuna was the 15th player from a visiting
ending period of 9/21-27...Hit
team with a three-homer game at Fenway • Also won the award for the season-
Park, and the first to ever do so from a .500/.606/.923 (13-for-26) in seven games
National League club.
with three home runs, eight RBI and more
SEASON IN REVIEW • His six RBI were the most by a Braves • San Diego's Manny Machado was the only
walks (7) than strikeouts (4)...His .606 on-
base percentage was the best in the N.L.
player in a single game since 2008, when
Jeff Francoeur drove in seven on 4/12 at
Washington (3-for-5, 2 HR).
the Week awards this season.
• His second homer was the 1,000th hit other N.L. player to win multiple Player of
of his career...Ozuna became the 60th • Ozuna previously won three of these
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT • His first home run with the Braves tied the game • Ozuna hit a N.L.-best .394 (41-for-104) in
awards...Twice in 2017 with Miami, and
Dominican-born player to reach that
once in 2018 with St. Louis.
milestone, and one of 75 active major
leaguers to have done so.
September...His .488 on-base percentage (3rd)
in the ninth inning on 7/25, driving a two-out,
and .750 slugging percentage (3rd) in 26 games
full-count pitch out to right-center field off the
Mets’ Edwin Díaz…Atlanta would go on to win the in the month both placed among N.L. leaders.
• Thirty-three of his RBI came in
game, 5-3, in 10 innings. September, tying the Atlanta-era record
• Ozuna became the first Braves player
for a calendar month...Freddie Freeman
BRAVES HISTORY to hit a go-ahead or game-tying homer also had 33 last June...Freeman was
second in the majors in RBI in September
with the team down to its final strike since
9/7/13, when Andrelton Simmons drove
(32).
a 2-2, ninth-inning pitch from Jonathan
Papelbon out to left field with a runner • Only three other Braves have reached
the 30 RBI mark in a month since the
aboard to tie the game at 5...The Braves franchise relocated to Atlanta in 1966
eventually lost that game, 6-5. (Bob Horner, 32 in July ‘80; Mark Teixeira,
32 in August ‘07 and Dale Murphy, 30 in
• The last player whose first home run for
OPPONENTS the Braves came with the team behind • Ten of Ozuna's home runs came in
August ‘86).
and either tied the game or put Atlanta
ahead in the ninth inning or later was
Brian R. Hunter, who hit a two-run, game- the month...Only three other National
Leaguers (Pete Alonso, Adam Duvall and
tying home run in the 11th inning against AJ Pollock) reached double-figures in
Philadelphia on 6/5/91. • He had the best average exit velocity (93.0),
home runs in September.
• The following day, 7/26, Ozuna would hit
MISCELLANEOUS 182 his 150th career home run, off New York’s hard-hit rate (54.4%), barrel rate (16.0%) and walk
Corey Oswalt.
rate (14.2%) of his career.
2021 ATLANTA BRAVES MEDIA GUIDE