Matt Olson does not miss baseball games. That’s the simple fact behind a streak that now officially sits alongside one of the most durable runs in Atlanta Braves history.
On Wednesday, Olson tied Dale Murphy’s franchise record of 740 consecutive games played. The Braves first baseman stepped into the lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates and matched a mark that had stood untouched for four decades. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale flagged the milestone earlier in the day, noting that Olson’s overall streak of 874 consecutive games is the ninth-longest in MLB history.
And then Olson went and hit his 25th home run of the season. Because of course he did.
The Streak by the Numbers
Olson’s last missed game came on May 1, 2021, when he was still with the Oakland Athletics. Since then, he has appeared in every single one of his team’s games. That’s 874 straight, dating back to a stretch that started when the pandemic-shortened 2021 season was still fresh.
He entered Wednesday’s game batting .270 with 57 RBIs and 62 runs scored. Not eye-popping MVP numbers by his own standards maybe. But the durability part? That’s what makes the counting stats hit different. Olson has played through aches, through slumps, through the grind of a 162-game season. The Braves have dealt with injuries up and down the roster this year, but Olson has been the constant.
A Quiet Kind of Toughness
Baseball fans have been watching this streak creep up all season. Olson didn’t make a big deal about it. He just kept showing up. He hasn’t started every single game during the streak, but he’s appeared in all of them. That distinction matters in today’s game where load management and rest days are common even for stars.
Murphy’s 740-game streak ended in 1986. Nobody had touched it since. Now Olson has tied it and will likely pass it in the coming days. The Braves are chasing their second championship in six seasons, and having a guy who refuses to come out of the lineup is a pretty good place to start.
One more thing about that home run he hit Wednesday. It came right after the announcement. Olson didn’t just tie the record. He made a statement with his bat at the same moment.
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