Michael Harris II has his best game of the season to beat the Mets

The second-year outfielder has struggled mightily this season, but may have just turned it around against New York

It's remarkable that Atlanta's been as successful as they have without centerfielder Michael Harris II running on all cylinders this season. 

Missing time for a back injury and being hampered by an hyperextended knee on his return, Harris hadn't quite found his swinging stroke, batting .163/.246/.244 on the season, good for a 33 OPS+ that was the lowest figure on the team out of the starters. 

But last night? "Money Mike" was feeling it last night.  

Last year's NL Rookie of the Year went 3-4 with three RBIs, coming in just a triple away from the cycle. He bunted for a single, laced an RBI double, and then capped the night with a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth that all but sealed the game. 

Combine that with a running catch in the top of the eighth, snagging a Mark Canha line drive on the warning track, and Harris was one of the more impactful Braves in the series-clinching victory. 

And it's all thanks to...Marcell Ozuna?

“(Tuesday) night Marcell came up to me and gave me the pep talk that I needed,” Harris said, referring to a quick chat Ozuna had with him up the tunnel, away from cameras, preceding Harris's eighth inning line-drive out. The pitch from reliever Adam Ottavino was RIPPED, 105.4 mph off the bat, but snagged by left fielder Jeff McNeil for the final out of the inning. 

“He told me my season was starting with that at-bat, and ever since then I’ve been hitting the ball hard and seeing it good. He just reminded me that I have the potential to be one of the better players in the league, and just believe in myself and go out there and not worry about mechanical things, just go out there and play.”

Harris continued, discussing how important that moment was: “It means a lot, because my main goal is to go out there and help the team win any way, and I felt like I wasn’t really doing that as much. To have a night like this is something that can really get me going, and I’m excited for it.”

Getting Harris going would be a much needed boost to this team's offensive ceiling - the lineup is constructed to crush lefties (.303/.363/.547 in 2023), and Harris is a crucial counterbalance to that - he hit .323/.363/.580 against righties last year, with seventeen homeruns in just under three hundred at-bats in 2022. 

Ozuna answered questions from the media last night after Harris shared details of their conversation, and it's obvious that the veteran's vast experience has been useful in the clubhouse, even if we don't always see things like that from Ozuna.

“So I know how important it is how you face those problems when you’re struggling at the plate,” Ozuna said, who dealt with his own massive slump this season before a massive series in Miami catapulted him into what we've been calling 'Marcell May'. “You want to produce and everything you’re doing is going down the hole. So I told him, ‘Hey, you’re the best center fielder in the league – not even the league, in the whole MLB. So you’ve got to trust yourself. Starting now, your season starts, so don’t worry about a thing in the past, earlier in the season. Forget about everything and start the season now.’

“And today he came in with a good attitude, and you could see it on his face.” 

Ronald Acuña Jr confirmed to reporters, through an interpreter, that Ozuna's always been that supportive veteran that the young guys, especially the Latin players, have leaned on. "He’s definitely that kind of ballplayer, and he’s always been that kind of guy, that teammate, that companion that when he sees some of the younger guys sort of with their heads down or slumping or struggling or whatever it is, he’ll always come and support us and give us encouraging messages. That’s the guy he is and that’s what he does for all of us.” 

Sorry, not sorry! @MoneyyyMikeee breaking out in a BIG way tonight!
His 2run homer in the 8th gives the #Braves a 7-5 lead over the Mets & I want you to take a look at the reaction in the dugout👇🏼to me, THIS is everything! #fortheA @BallySportsSO pic.twitter.com/w8dRHM2pYx

— Kelly Crull (@Kelly_Crull) June 8, 2023

Manager Brian Snitker could not have been happier for Harris, because he knows how much extra time went into fixing the skid. “I’m just happy for him. He’s been working really hard and grinding it out,” Snitker discussed with reporters after the game. “It’s not easy when you’re not going good. He’s experiencing some things for the first time, and credit to him, it hasn’t affected his defense at all. And you know what? He’s going to give himself a chance to right the ship.”

Consider that ship back on course. 

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