Braves Marcell Ozuna Breaks HR Drought, Makes History Against Reds

Marcell Ozuna snapped a long home run drought en route to making team history in the win against the Cincinnati Reds.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna snaps his long home run drought as the offense has an explosive night against the Cincinnati Reds Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna snapped his long home run drought on Wednesday night in the 7-1 win against the Cincinnati Reds.

Ozuna hadn’t hit a home run since Aug. 28.

Big Bear 🐻#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/2sPrPszBQ9

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 19, 2024

In a span of 95 at-bats, the once-on-fire hitter for the Braves cooled off tremendously, and not just in the home run department.  Ozuna had also not produced an RBI since the same date, a 19-game span.

With his next at-bat following his homer, he officially joined 12 other players in Braves history to have 100 plus RBIs in consecutive seasons.

100 RBI on the season for the Big Bear 🐻#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/59aOlUhaFK

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 19, 2024

Since joining Atlanta in 2020, he has hit 125 home runs and has generated 336 RBIs. With the team’s season hanging in the balance, they will need him to get back to his usual self.

In those 19 outings without a home run, manager Brian Snitker’s club had a 9-10 record, and in eight of those losses, the team failed to score two or more runs. Having your best bat in a cold spell certainly contributed to that.

‘The Big Bear’ must be at the top of his game if the team wants to make the third NL Wild Card spot. They are currently two games behind the New York Mets as of Wednesday. With a pivotal upcoming series against the Mets starting next week, now would be an ideal time for Ozuna to get back into the swing of things in what could be the team’s last hurrah of 2024.

With second baseman Ozzy Albies nearing his return to the club, he and Ozuna will be relied on to get Atlanta into the playoffs. They could receive other reinforcements via a potential return from third baseman Austin Riley.

An injury-filled season for the Braves still has them in contention for a playoff bid. Atlanta’s designated hitter is a significant contributor, and with just ten games remaining, he cannot afford to have any more ‘power outages.’