Matt Olson Hits 17th Homer of Season in Braves' 4-3 Win Over Blue Jays on Lou Gehrig Day

Matt Olson hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning that gave the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on June 2, 2026, in Atlanta. The home run was Olson's 17th of the 2026 season and came on a day Major League Baseball marked the 85th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's death. Olson's towering shot received assistance from a strong breeze blowing toward the right-field corner.

The first baseman said he did not think the ball would clear the tall brick wall. "I did not think it was a homer. Luckily, we had some wind blowing out that way," Olson said. Olson also doubled and scored the run that gave Atlanta a 3-2 lead in the third inning.

The Braves entered the game with a 41-20 record, the best in baseball. Olson has played in every game since May 2, 2021, reaching his 844th consecutive game on June 2. That streak is the longest active run in the major leagues.

Olson, 32, was acquired by the Braves in a deal with the Athletics ahead of the 2022 season after the team could not agree on a new contract with Freddie Freeman. "We've talked about the streak," Olson said. "It's not something I'm hanging up on a pedestal.

He added that he prefers to play every day because he dislikes sitting and feels a commitment to teammates, fans, the organization and himself. Braves manager Walt Weiss said Olson's durability evoked comparisons to Gehrig. "Lou Gehrig was one of my all-time heroes.

I made all four of my sons do their fifth-grade book report on Lou Gehrig. That was mandatory in our house. And you've got our iron man hitting the game-winning homer on Lou Gehrig Day, so very appropriate," Weiss said.

Olson hit a franchise-record 54 home runs in 2023. His current streak surpasses the 1,152 consecutive games Miguel Tejada played from 2000 to 2007. , who played 2,632 straight games for the Baltimore Orioles.

Olson said he appreciates the attention Gehrig brought to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurological disease with no known cure. "I know people from my area who've been affected by it," Olson said.