Early MVP candidate Matt Olson’s vendetta against baseballs just reached new levels

Fire in the hole! Braves’ Matt Olson just hit a crackling beauty of a homer that was heard all ’round Georgia. 

On Tuesday, night, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson put his name onto the way-too-early MVP ballot with his team-high fourth homer of the season.

In the second game of the series against the Cincinnati Reds, Luis Cessa pitched Olson a fastball in the bottom of the first inning, and Olson kept his eye on the prize the entire time.

He made thunderous contact and hit the Braves’ first home run of the game that traveled 448 feet and clocked in at 118.6 mph, taking the cake for the hardest hit ball of 2023 so far.

Olson’s banger was also the hardest-hit ball in Braves history (since 2015, the start of the StatCast era) as well as the hardest-hit ball in his career.

Marvel at Olson’s superhuman strength below:

Braves’ Matt Olson just hit the hardest ball of 2023

Olson’s homer in the first inning was an absolute firecracker, and at the time of this writing, he’s 1-of-2 and hitting .341 through the bottom of the fourth inning. The Braves are leading 5-4.

Olson, a one-time All-Star, joined Atlanta from the Oakland Athletics prior to the 2022 season; before tonight’s game, he was slashing .333/.462/.667 with three home runs and 11 RBI.

He enters the eighth season of his career and his second in Atlanta in 2023, and he’s part of one of the league’s most prolific hitting orders with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley. Each of those three players are touted to be MVP candidates this year, though Olson may have just put himself in the lead with his unbelievably loud homer.

To put it in the words of Braves legend Chipper Jones, Olson is just “swinging the bat great.” The understatement of his early 2023 campaign, perhaps.

All fans can say about Olson’s staggering form is: Oh my Atlanta.