Matt Olson’s casual behind-the-back play left the Phillies’ Brandon Marsh completely baffled

Call him up, Savannah Bananas.

Braves first baseman Matt Olson is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, so his defensive prowess has been obvious for much of his career. But it turns out that he could also make a case for playing with the Savannah Bananas.

The trick play game was on point.

During Sunday’s game against the NL East-leading Phillies, Brandon Marsh was left stunned when a would-be, extra-base hit turned into a ground out thanks to Olson’s heads-up play. Marsh’s sharp grounder took an unusual hop, and Olson found himself running past the ball’s path. But in a split second, he reached behind his back to field the grounder and make the play.

A behind-the-back play will never look more casual than that one. The exchange between Olson and Marsh was also great. The Phillies outfielder was genuinely confused how that happened, and Olson jokingly tipped his cap as if it was his plan all along to go behind the back.

MLB fans also enjoyed the play and Marsh’s reaction. Olson is ready for Banana Ball.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

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When the calendar flips to October, it means one thing for many sports fans: playoff baseball.

Major League Baseball’s postseason is in full swing. It’s once again time for history to be written on the diamond and showcase the game’s biggest stars shining their brightest.

At the end of every regular season, the MLB releases the top-selling jerseys from that season.

Unsurprisingly, the list contains plenty of playoff contenders, a multitude of MVP candidates and simply some of the best baseball players on the planet

Check out the full list below, and grab a jersey to support your favorite player as the remaining lucky few march on towards the 2023 World Series.

Kyle Schwarber went out of his way to retrieve Matt Olson’s 50th HR ball in a super classy moment

That’s what sportsmanship is all about.

The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have one of the more underrated rivalries in the National League East, and we saw that play out in last season’s NLDS. But in some moments, that rivalry can wait.

That’s exactly what happened in Monday night’s Game 2 doubleheader between the two clubs.

Braves first baseman Matt Olson is chasing Andruw Jones’ franchise record of 51 home runs in a season, and he has an outside chance of becoming the first Braves player with 60 home runs. And in the sixth inning, Olson took Michael Lorenzen deep to the opposite field for his second home run of the game and the 50th homer of the season.

But keep an eye on what Kyle Schwarber did after the home run.

The Phillies left fielder went to get a new baseball and returned to the spot where Olson’s homer landed. And that was where Schwarber made a trade with the fan who caught Olson’s 50th home run ball in order to return the ball to the Braves dugout.

That’s something you don’t see from too many opposing players as stadium staff is often tasked with locating fans who catch meaningful home runs. But credit to Schwarber for making it happen right there on the field and getting the ball back to the Braves.

Fans certainly appreciated the gesture. That’s what baseball is all about.

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MLB TikTok account glamorized Braves’ Matt Olson like the HR-smashing dreamboat he is

You gotta give the people what they want.

With 43 home runs and a 1.006 OPS, Matt Olson is in the midst of a potential NL MVP campaign for the league-leading Atlanta Braves. It’s a bonus, then, that the 29-year-old first baseman happens to be a conventionally attractive man, too.

That is, at least, according to the MLB TikTok.

On Tuesday, the official account shared a video featuring various clips of Olson strutting around with a saxophone and smooth jazz suggestively playing in the background. The implication is easy to understand: Either the runners of MLB’s TikTok account seem to think Olson is (justifiably) a dreamboat, or they’re just playing into the minds of fans who (justifiably) think Olson is a dreamboat.

Or both. It can be both.

Whatever the case may be, the weirdly erotic Olson video also included the caption “more like Gyatt Olson” with a “hot face, tongue out” emoji. If you’re not familiar with young person slang, dearest reader, have no fear. Neither am I! According to impeccable source Urban Dictionary, “gyatt” is a shortened form of “goddamn.”

So, the MLB account posted, in essence, “Goddamn Olson.” Mhm, sure, this all adds up.

Again, they’re not exactly wrong. Olson does look like an attractive human being who happens to be a star baseball player. It’s just a tad odd that an official MLB platform would play into it with a mood-setting saxophone and silly Gen Z slang about hotness.

Well, it’s giving the people what they want.

A Cubs fan had the most shocked reaction to Matt Olson’s monster home run

This is what it’s like to see rocket home runs up close.

In a season of dominance for the Atlanta Braves, Matt Olson’s prowess at the plate might stand tallest. Entering Sunday’s matchup with the Chicago Cubs, Olson had a .966 OPS, a .599 slugging percentage, and 38 home runs.

While Atlanta battled it out for the series win at Wrigley Field, Olson added to his season tally with a monster 39th dinger (453 feet!) in the third inning. The play in itself is already a cool rocket ball to watch get launched into the outfield.

But when you notice the incredulous reaction of a Cubs fan just behind home plate, it places everything in a more proper context — Olson smoked that ball.

I’m sure, from up close, that Olson’s home run was a sight to behold. Because this young man wasn’t the only one who reacted with shock. He was just one of many seeing Olson’s power firsthand.

This unique view of Matt Olson’s sweet play at first base is so beautiful

What a cool view of a sweet play by Atlanta’s Matt Olson.

Sometimes it’s easy to watch a baseball game on TV and not fully appreciate a sweet play that’s made in the field. Blame it on camera angles that can make wild things look routine. It happens.

That’s what makes this view of the play Atlanta’s Matt Olson made in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s game against the A’s look so darn beautiful. Olson fielded the ball behind the bag and had his back turned to the base after he scooped it up. He then calmly turned around and threw a strike to his pitcher, A.J. Minter, who caught it and beat Jonah Bride for the out.

Again, we see plays like this all the time but the camera angle on this one shows just how cool of a play this was:

I’ve watched that like 10 times and I’ll probably watch it some more this afternoon. Everything is perfect on that play, including the catcher backing it up and throwing a fist pump after the out was called.

Twitter loved it, too.

Atlanta’s Matt Olson hit the type of grand slam that you dream about

This must have felt so good.

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Remember when you were a kid playing little league or wiffleball in the front yard and you would dream about absolutely crushing a grand slam that would leave everyone in awe while you just stood their admiring it?

Well, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson lived the dream yesterday in Pittsburgh when he blasted a grand salami that he’ll never forget. I know what you’re thinking – Olson has hit a bunch of home runs in his career and will hit a bunch more, what makes this one so special?

I’ll tell you what makes this one so special – the lefty hit the ball so far it left the stadium and landed in a river and he stood there looking like a golfer, admiring his absolute bomb that everyone knew was destined to land in the Allegheny River.

Look at how fun this must have been.

He was pretty humble about it in an interview after the game, saying “It was a good one. It felt good.”

There are certain things in pro sports that I’d love to feel – running down the lane and throwing down a two-handed, follow up dunk on some poor opponent’s head, picking off a quarterback and taking it back for a pick six, and smashing a home run out of a stadium and into a river are just a few of those things.

Imagine how Olson must have felt rounding those bases, knowing everyone in the stadium (it was in Pittsburgh so there weren’t a lot of people there, but whatever) was in awe of what you had just done. “There goes that dude who just hit a grand slam into a gosh-darn river!” they’d say while taking another bite of their hot dog.

You’d float around those bases!

Man, that must have been fun. I know Olson is a professional but I have to think he rewatched that highlight a few times.

I know I would have.

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Matt Olson hilariously held his pose like a golfer after hitting grand slam into the Allegheny River

Perfect form.

Ever since the Braves dropped four of five games to the Mets, Atlanta has surged back into the thick of the NL East race, cutting the Mets’ divisional lead down to 1.5 games.

The Braves have had plenty of fun in the process too. Exhibit A: Matt Olson.

The Atlanta first baseman launched a massive grand slam into the Allegheny River — one of the features that makes PNC Park a tremendous ballpark — to give the Braves a 13-0 lead on Wednesday. And Olson opted for a different approach when it came to admiring his splash-down homer. He held his pose life a golfer and watched the entire flight of the ball. It was beautiful.

Olson has somewhat of an unconventional swing for a baseball player, but judging from the celebration, he must be solid on the golf course.

A bat flip is always a good time, but that’s the honestly the one time you’re going to see someone strike a golf pose on a ball in the water. Also, poor Pirates. In the same game that Oneil Cruz hit the hardest ball in the Statcast era, they end up losing by two touchdowns.

MLB fans appreciated Olson’s pose because of course they did.

Matt Olson hit Freddie Freeman with a ‘sword’ celebration and MLB fans thought it was hilarious

The awkwardness was too PERFECT.

Sometimes baseball can be so poetic even when it isn’t trying to be. Sunday night was one of those times.

The weekend series between the Dodgers and Braves was an obviously emotional time for Freddie Freeman. The first baseman had spent 12 years in Atlanta, won a World Series and then saw the Braves trade for his replacement (Matt Olson) amid stalled contract negotiations. In his return to Atlanta, Freeman received his World Series ring, had a teary pregame press conference and a standing ovation in his first at-bat.

But come Sunday, he was just another Dodgers player. And he happened to be on the receiving end of Olson’s celebration at first base.

Shortly after Freeman gave the Dodgers a 10th-inning lead, Olson tied the game back up with a single of his own. As Olson was on first base, he turned to the Braves dugout and did the customary “sword” celebration. His arm swing caught Freeman, and the awkwardness was too perfect.

“Ohhh, my bad,” Olson appeared to say. Sure, Matt. Sure.

As emotional as the weekend had been for Freeman, it had to be *that* uncomfortable for Olson. So, who could blame him for ignoring his spatial awareness there? Even if it was an accident (it probably was), MLB fans found the whole sequence hilarious.

Mánager de los Braves se entera por los reporteros del cambio de Matt Olson y se queda mudo

El mánager de los Braves Brian Snitker sabía que existía la posibilidad de que Freddie Freeman se fuera de Atlanta. Después de todo, Freeman era un agente libre y así es como funciona. Pero probablemente no esperaba que los Braves iniciaran el …

El mánager de los Braves Brian Snitker sabía que existía la posibilidad de que Freddie Freeman se fuera de Atlanta. Después de todo, Freeman era un agente libre y así es como funciona. Pero probablemente no esperaba que los Braves iniciaran el movimiento que prepararía el camino para la partida de Freeman.

Nosotros fuimos testigos de su sorpresa este lunes.

Los Braves y los Oakland Athletics llegaron a un acuerdo para una transferencia espectacular que envió al primera base y jugador del All-Star, Matt Olson, para Atlanta por una oferta que incluía a jugadores con grandes expectativas como Cristian Pache y Shea Langeliers. El cambio ciertamente significó que Freeman se iría a firmar a otro lado, pero qué mal momento para que Snitker escuchara las noticias.

Traducción: ÚLTIMO MOMENTO: Atlanta y Oakland acuerdan un cambio que mandará al primera base Matt Olson a los Braves, según informaron fuentes familiares con el acuerdo a ESPN.
Traducción 2: Oakland recibirá al OF Cristian Pache, C Shea Langeliers, SP Ryan Cusick y al SP Joey Estes, informaron las fuentes a ESPN. Un gran recorrido para Matt Olson, el nuevo primera base de los Braves.

 

El mánager de los Braves se enteró del cambio mientras hablaba con reporteros, quienes le leyeron el tuit de Jeff Passan en tiempo real.

Aquí les dejamos el video:

Traducción: El mánager de los Braves, Brian Snitker, estaba con los medios cuando salió la noticia de que el equipo había transferido al 1B Matt…
Aquí está su reacción y lo que Freddie Freeman significa para él.

 

En realidad no pueden culparlo por haberse quedado sin habla. Es decir, es un cambio inmenso y no hubo tiempo para que lo reflexionara. En ese momento ni siquiera sabía a quiénes habían cedido los Braves, no es de sorprenderse que fuera incapaz de darles una respuesta.

Pero al menos sí supo que el cambio quería decir que Freeman se iba, eso quedó muy claro por su reacción.

Poco después de escuchar la noticia del cambio, Olson también habló con los reporteros.

Traducción: Matt Olson acaba de hablar con los reporteros sobre el cambio en Mesa:

 

El primera base de 27 años creció en Atlanta.

 

Artículo traducido por Ana Lucía Toledo

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