Though the Atlanta Braves lost on Sunday, it wasn’t all bad since slugger Matt Olson achieved a significant personal milestone that deserves to be honored. The San Diego Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves 9-1 on Sunday night.
Though the Braves struggled in front of a national television audience, slugger Matt Olson achieved a significant personal milestone by playing in his 500th consecutive game. This is presently baseball’s longest streak.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Matt Olson has played 500 consecutive games, dating to 5/2/21
only longer streaks since 2000:
2000-07 Miguel Tejada: 1,152
2018-22 Whit Merrifield: 553
2010-14 Prince Fielder: 547
2000-03 Alex Rodriguez: 546
2003-06 Hideki Matsui: 518
2004-07 Mark Teixeira: 507
Five hundred consecutive games is a long way from Cal Ripken Jr.’s all-time record of 2,632, but it still an impressive accomplishment in today’s game. First and foremost, it’s remarkable that Olson has been able to stay healthy enough to play every game for almost two seasons. He played 156 games in 2021, beginning his streak, and has played every game since.
Furthermore, in today’s era of player control and “load management,” it’s remarkable that Olson was given the opportunity to play so many games in a row. Teams usually require players to sit in order to stay fresh, but Olson has managed to defy the tendency.
Olson, 30, is in his ninth season with the Oakland Athletics and Braves. He’s hitting.222 this season with five homers and 23 RBI, but he led the league in home runs last year with 54.
He is a two-time All-Star.
The Braves will face the Padres again on Monday night.
Follow Fastball on FanNation’s social media
Leave a Reply