Olson's Heroic Win
Matt Olson Hits Winning Homer for Braves, Extends Iron Man Streak on Lou Gehrig Day
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On the 85th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's death, baseball's modern iron man delivered. Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the sixth inning on June 2, powering the Braves to a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in his 844th consecutive game. Newsday reported the feat came on MLB's annual Lou Gehrig Day, making the timing almost too perfect.
Olson also doubled and scored earlier in the game to give Atlanta a 3-2 lead. His streak — active since May 2, 2021 — is the longest in the major leagues since Miguel Tejada played 1,152 straight games from 2000 to 2007, BDT Online noted.
Olson's Homer Breaks a Sixth-Inning Tie
The Braves led 2-0 after the first inning, thanks to an Ozzie Albies sacrifice fly and a Michael Harris II double. Toronto's Kazuma Okamoto tied it 2-2 with a two-run homer in the second. Olson's double and a scoring single by Albies in the third gave Atlanta a 3-2 edge, according to Fox Sports.
Toronto tied it again at 3-3 in the sixth on a Daulton Varsho sacrifice fly. Then Olson stepped up. He crushed a solo shot — his 17th homer of the season, traveling 355 feet with a 49-degree launch angle — to put Atlanta ahead for good at 4-3. Closer Raisel Iglesias nailed down his 11th save to end it, King5 reported.
Olson Sits 10th All-Time in Consecutive Games Played
Olson's 844-game streak has already passed legends like Dale Murphy (740) and Nellie Fox (798). He recently surpassed Eddie Yost (829) to reach 10th all-time, according to 5 News Online. Cal Ripken Jr.'s all-time record of 2,632 games remains far off, but Olson is projected to hit 1,000 straight games sometime in the 2027 season.
Olson has a simple explanation for the streak. "I just don't like sitting," he said, per The Hour. "If you can go, you should go." New Braves manager Walt Weiss — who took over after Brian Snitker retired before the 2026 season — praised his first baseman. "What he is doing speaks a lot to the guy," Weiss said. "He shows up every day ready to go."
Lou Gehrig Day Ties ALS Awareness to Baseball History
MLB launched Lou Gehrig Day in 2021. June 2 was chosen because it marks both the day Gehrig first took the field as the Yankees' everyday first baseman in 1925 — starting his 2,130-game streak — and the day he died from ALS in 1941, Greenwich Time noted. This year marked the 6th annual commemoration.
The day also raised serious money for ALS research. The Philadelphia Phillies' #StrikeOutALS campaign alone pulled in over $710,000. The EverythingALS nonprofit announced a $1 million investment in the Allen Institute's Brain Health Accelerator to study how ALS progresses, according to WHIO.
Braves Sit Atop MLB With a 41-20 Record
The win pushed Atlanta to 41-20, the best record in baseball. The Blue Jays fell to 29-32, still stuck below .500 in the AL East. Bryce Elder earned the win to improve to 5-3, pitching 6.2 innings and striking out six. Toronto starter Kevin Gausman took the loss despite six solid innings and eight strikeouts, PIX11 reported.
Weiss took over a roster built for contention, and the results have shown it. Ronald Acuña Jr. scored the first run of the night after drawing a walk in the first. With Olson anchoring the lineup and the Braves' win total climbing, Atlanta looks like the team to beat in 2026, according to Winnipeg Free Press.
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