Sho-Who? Matt Olson continues MVP charge to take HR lead

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson took the MLB home run lead away from Shohei Ohtani on Saturday afternoon.

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani spent most of the season taking the lead for the American League MVP award and essentially running away with it. He has done so by pitching well and slugging a bunch of home runs. He held the major league lead for home runs with 40 and was at one point close to being on pace to match New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge’s single-season record of 62.

While the home run question may be out of the question, Ohtani could at least take the single-season lead. Well, that all changed on Saturday afternoon, as the player he was tied with pulled away for the lead.

In the top of the sixth inning against the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson crushed a three-run homer to near dead center field of Citi Field. Not only did that extend Atlanta’s lead to 8-0, but it gave Olson the major league lead with 41.

Matt Olson crushes multiple home runs to take MLB lead away from Shohei Ohtani

The Braves were having a field day against the rival Mets, whose batting lineup for Game 1 of their doubleheader made their fanbase miserable. Olson only added to the misery for the fans in attendance.

In the top of the eighth inning, Olson crushed a solo home run to left field to extend Atlanta’s lead to 12-0, and to create further distance in the homer race with his 42nd of the year.

Much like Ohtani, Olson is the favorite to win the MVP award in the National League. Holding the home run lead will certainly help his cause.

Entering Saturday’s game, Olson recorded a .267 batting average,  a .376 on-base percentage, a .601 slugging percentage (NL-lead), 101 RBI (MLB-high), 88 runs, 115 hits, 129 strikeouts, and 74 walks in 431 at-bats.

With this game in the books, Olson is now on pace to hit 59 home runs on the year. Who knows, maybe he’ll increase his home run pace by hitting more in the second game of the doubleheader later on Saturday.