The Atlanta Braves continue to hit home runs.
Braves catcher Sean Murphy hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning of their game against the Tampa Bay Rays Friday night that gave them a one-run lead and ultimately gave them the 2-1 win. That was the Braves’ 167th home run so far this season, the highest by a team before the All-Star break in MLB history.
The Braves have a 28 home run lead over the rest of the league. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in second place with 139 acquisitions Friday. The Rays are at 135 this season and the Los Angeles Angels are fourth at 132.
Though the Braves have two games left before the season half, they are on track to set an MLB record for home runs in a single season. The Minnesota Twins currently hold the record with 307 home runs in 2019. The Braves are on track to hit 330+.
The Braves have now hit 167 homers this season, the highest number by a team before the All-Star break in MLB history. (AP/Sue Ogrocki)
Matt Olson leads the Braves with 29 home runs, which is the second most in the league, behind only Angels star Shohei Ohtani, who has 31. Ozzie Albies has 22 and Ronald Acuña Jr. has 21 — which is 10th most in the league. The Braves are the only team with multiple players in this top 10 list.
Murphy’s home run was his 16th of the season. He started Friday with a .305 batting average, 69 hits and 50 RBI. The 28-year-old is playing his first season in Atlanta after spending his first four years in the league with the Oakland A’s.
The Braves have now won 19 of their last 21 games and have the best record in baseball. They went into Friday’s game with an 8.5 game lead over the Miami Marlins in the NL East.