This year, all eyes have been on Shohei Ohtani, who could be in his final season with the Los Angeles Angels.
And it’s easy to understand why the focus has been on Ohtani.
He has hit 40 home runs and for a time led the entire league in homers.
That is, until this afternoon, when Atlanta Braves star first baseman Matt Olson hit a homer against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
That home run was his 40th of the season and it moved him into a tie with the Angels’ two-way star for the league lead.
On Twitter, MLB posted a cool graphic to celebrate Olson’s accomplishment.
Matt Olson has tied Shohei Ohtani for the Major League lead in homers! pic.twitter.com/3IGcsYnSAw
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2023
While most of the attention is going towards Ohtani because of his two-way abilities, Olson cannot be overlooked as he attempts to claim the lead for himself.
And with just under two months left in the season, there is still plenty of time for Olson to keep raking and putting himself in a position to challenge Ohtani for the league lead.
Ohtani also will not be able to regain his lead today, as the Halos do not have a game.
But Olson is clearly having a fantastic season, and it stands to reason why he finds himself in the thick of the race for the National League MVP Award.
If Olson finishes with the lead, it would be hard for fans to imagine him not winning the award.
Ohtani may be attracting most of the attention, but Olson can’t be overlooked as we enter the stretch run of the regular season.
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