Marcell Ozuna writes his name in Atlanta Braves history

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna worked out before Friday night’s home run derby against the San Diego Padres. He hit two solo shots en route to a 6-1 victory for the Braves over the San Diego Padres.

But Ozuna also made history with his first home run. He drove in 76 runs before the All-Star break, setting a new Atlanta-era record. Ozuna is one of two Braves players to drive in at least 75 runs before the break. The other is Andruw Jones.

Ozuna has 26 homers and 77 RBIs with two games remaining before the All-Star break.

This season, he is one of three MLB players to have scored 75 runs in the first half of the official season. He joins Aaron Judge (84) and Jose Ramirez (77).

Ozuna and Judge are the only two players since 2020 to have 25 or more homers and 75 or more RBIs before the break.

Other historical notes

Ozuna’s record stands as the Atlanta era record – since 1966. In Braves history, Ozuna is one of two players to have 75+ RBIs. Eddie Matthews produced 80 points in 1960, but it was with the Milwaukee Braves.

Not bad company.

With all this talk about team records, how close is Ozuna to the MLB record? He’s still a long way off. While his 75 RBIs before the All-Star break are impressive, he’s not scorning the MLB record.

Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg holds the record with 103 in 1935. Juan Gonzalez became the second player to reach 100 RBI before the 1998 hiatus, reaching 101. Unsurprisingly, both players were named American League MVPs in their respective years.

Ozuna is certainly a strong contender for National League MVP, even without a league record and with a tough opponent in Shohei Ohtani. Those are the numbers that should put him at least among the finalists for the award.