Marcell Ozuna Etches Name in Atlanta Braves History

Marcell Ozuna has been on a historic tear that set a record with the Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna hit a pair of home runs against the San Diego Padres on Friday night. / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna got some work in before the Home Run Derby in Friday night’s game against the San Diego Padres. He hit two solo shots en route to a Braves 6-1 win over the San Diego Padres.

But Ozuna also made history on that first home run. That gave him RBI number 76 before the All-Star Break, setting a new Atlanta-era record. Ozuna is one of two Braves players to have at least 75 RBI before the break. The other is Andruw Jones.

Record Status: Broken ✅

Marcell Ozuna breaks the Atlanta-era franchise record with 76 RBI before the All-Star break. https://t.co/pqZtFHay4z pic.twitter.com/zpHjB9japu

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) July 13, 2024

Ozuna has 26 home runs and 77 RBIs with two games left before the All-Star Break. 

Across MLB this season, he is one of three players to bat in 75 runs in the official first half. He joins Aaron Judge (84) and Jose Ramirez (77).

Ozuna and Judge are the only two players since 2020 to have 25 or more home runs and 75 or more RBI heading into the break. 

Only two players since 2020 have tallied 25+ home runs and 75+ RBI before the All-Star break:

▪️Aaron Judge, 2024
▪️Marcell Ozuna, 2024 pic.twitter.com/82bTOWPCfg

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) July 13, 2024

Other History Notes

Ozuna’s record is the Atlanta-era record - since 1966. In all of Braves history, Ozuna is one of two players to have more than 75 RBIs. Eddie Matthews batted in 80 runs in 1960, but that was with the Milwaukee Braves. 

Not bad company.

With all this talk of team records, how close is Ozuna to the MLB record? Quite far off still. While 75 RBI before the All-Star Break is impressive, he isn’t sniffing the MLB record. 

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg holds the record with 103 in 1935. Juan Gonzalez became the second player to reach 100 RBI before the break in 1998, reaching 101. Unsurprisingly, both players were named the American League MVP in their respective years.

Ozuna is certainly making a strong case for the National League MVP honor - even with out a league record and having a tough opponent in Shohei Ohtani.  These are the types of numbers that should him at least a finalist for the award.