“Before my last punch last night, he told me [my] The season just started and I’ve been hitting the ball hard and seeing it well ever since,” Harris said. “Well, I guess my season has just started.”
Harris certainly timed it well, as his home run against Adam Ottavino in the eighth inning extended the Braves’ winning streak to four games and gave them eight wins in their last nine home games against the Mets. This was only his third home run and eighth extra base hit of the season.
“He’s going to have a great season,” Ronald Acuña Jr. said through an interpreter. “Things are starting to go his way and they will continue to go his way.”
The Braves have the best record in the National League (37-24). They have a three-game lead over the second-placed Marlins, a 7.5-game lead over the Mets, and an eight-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. Atlanta benefited from Ozuna’s resurgence in May and now hopes to see Harris produce the same way he did when he arrived this time last year and still won the Jackie Robinson NL Rookie of the Year Award.
Harris started this injury-plagued season with a .163 score and a .490 OPS in 38 games. But he exited with his first three-hit game and third multi-hit performance of the season with some of the confidence Ozuna had inspired before Harris hit a 105.4-mph lineout in the eighth inning of Tuesday night’s win Hour left against Ottavino.
“I told him you’re the best midfielder in MLB, so you have to trust yourself,” Ozuna said. “I told him he couldn’t think about anything in the past and just start the season now. Today he came in and did it with a good attitude. You can see it on his face.”
The “Money Mike” smile that Braves fans saw so often last year grew even bigger when Harris won that final fight against Ottavino. The Mets reliever left a 1-1 cutter over the center of the plate, and the Braves outfielder drilled a 443-foot home run over the midfield fence. This was the longest home run of his young career.
“When I first tried it, I was like, ‘Oh, that felt good,'” Harris said. “You don’t really feel it right off the bat when you hit the sweet spot. I just put it in a trot, saluted the bullpen and gave my money mike at the end.”
Money Mike’s home run celebration occurred 19 times in Harris’ 414 at-bats last year. This year’s attempt to build on rookie success was hampered by a back injury that sidelined him for three weeks in April. Two games after coming off the injury list, he sustained a knee injury and spent two weeks playing uncomfortably with a restrictive knee brace. Now he finally feels good again.
“I feel like myself,” Harris said. “I was just waiting to get the results on a night like tonight.”
How frustrating had the last few days been? Harris won 4-1 on balls he hit at 95 mph or more during last weekend’s series in Arizona. He was also robbed of Corbin Carroll’s sliding grab in midfield during the series.
Harris started Wednesday’s three-hit game with a bunt single he placed on the third base line. Braves manager Brian Snitker believed this could take some pressure off the outfielder’s shoulders.
“It can get you off the mat and energized,” Snitker said. “It kind of did.”
Harris followed Orlando Arcia’s two-out double with one of his own, then scored when Acuña chased Max Scherzer with a green single in the sixth set.
Acuña made a great catch against the center right field wall, preventing Tommy Pham from scoring a base-loaded extra base hit in the seventh round. Harris’ home run was actually hit not long after he spawned his own net jewel. He finished the top of the eighth by dashing back to the midfield lane to snap up Mark Canha’s long drive with a leap.
“It’s not easy when you’re not doing well,” Snitker said. “He’s experiencing things for the first time and I have to give him credit for not affecting his defence. He’ll give himself a chance to fix the ship.”