NEW YORK -- Matt Olson would need to play another 12 seasons to break Cal Ripken Jr.’s seemingly unbreakable record. But the Braves first baseman should soon own one of MLB’s four-longest consecutive games streaks of the past half-century.
Olson played in his 741st consecutive game as the Braves claimed a 4-3 win over the Mets on Thursday night at Citi Field. This moved him past Atlanta legend Dale Murphy and into fifth place for the longest streak of the Divisional Era, which began in 1969. He’s on track to pass Pete Rose and own the fourth-longest streak of this span on Tuesday.
“That kind of puts it into perspective a little bit,” Olson said. “I feel like I'm just playing when I'm healthy. I'm sure there's a lot of luck involved. At some point, I'm gonna get hit by a pitch on the elbow or step on a base wrong or whatever it might be, just the little stuff that happens in sports. But yeah, it’s pretty cool to see the comparison.”
Ripken owns the MLB record with 2,632 consecutive games played and Lou Gehrig still ranks second with 2,130. No other player in baseball’s long rich history has played more than 1,307 consecutive games. And no player over the past half-century other than Ripken has had a streak of more than 1,207 games. Olson ranks 13th on the all-time list.
The longest streaks of the Divisional Era belong to Ripken, Steve Garvey (1,207), Miguel Tejada (1,152), Rose (745) and Olson (741). That’s an impressive accomplishment when you think about how many players have played since MLB moved to a divisional format 56 years ago.
“It’s amazing what he’s done,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He just shows up to play every day.”
Olson’s streak was at 134 games when he was traded by the A’s to the Braves before the 2022 season. He has played in 607 straight games (606 starts) since beginning his Atlanta tenure.
Murphy owns the Braves record with the 740-game streak he constructed from Sept. 26, 1981-July 8, 1986. Olson ranks second and Tommy Holmes third with 454 games from 1943-46, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
As for the longest streaks among active players, Olson leads the way and Pete Alonso ranks second with 375 games. Elly De La Cruz ranks third with 178 games.
Since joining the Braves, Olson leads the entire National League in extra-base hits (278) and total bases (1,142), ranks second in RBIs (411) and doubles (138), third in homers (136) and sixth in runs scored (359). His .853 OPS ranks ninth among qualified NL players during this span.
“It's like you owe it to the team, the fans, your teammates and everybody,” Olson said. “They’re paying you this money to go out and play. If you're able to do it and you don't feel bad, or if you know it's something you can play through, you go out and do it. Nobody is 100 percent except for the first week of Spring Training. So you owe it to everybody to go out there and grind it out.”
This commitment is appreciated by teammates like Bryce Elder, who benefited from three Ozzie Albies hits -- including a homer and a go-ahead double -- while helping the Braves secure a series win over the reeling Mets. Elder allowed three runs (two earned) over seven innings.
“Even the guys that don’t play every day, seeing how hard that is on their body just to wear cleats every day,” Elder said. “Nobody realizes how hard that is on your back and your legs. So, for him every day, whether he’s feeling good or feeling bad, he laces them up. It’s very impressive. I’ve got a lot of respect for that.”
Olson’s determination to play every day was rooted in the coaching he received at suburban Atlanta’s Parkview High School. Former A’s teammate Marcus Semien strengthened this commitment while serving as an early mentor. And once Olson arrived in Atlanta, he saw that Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson and other Braves also strived to be on the field whenever possible.
“I've always been a fan of the continuous lineup kind of thing that we do a lot here,” Olson said. “It's just kind of seamlessly worked from childhood to high school to the big leagues.”
What does Olson think about the fact he could catch Ripken if he stretches the streak into the 2037 season?
“I’ll be 43, right?” Olson said with a chuckle. “Never say never. But yeah, probably not.”