Eyeing MLB record, Atlanta Braves top 300 home runs

ATLANTA — It wasn’t Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson or another big Atlanta Braves slugger who made history, but it was history nonetheless when left fielder Kevin Pillar hammered a 3-1 pitch from Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele into the left field stands in the sixth inning on Tuesday night for the team’s 300th home run this season.

The Braves are the first National League team to reach that mark and just the third team overall to do so, behind the 2019 Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees, who hit 307 and 306 home runs, respectively.

Atlanta has done it with a balanced attack led by Olson, who has smacked 53 long balls. In the seventh inning Tuesday, Acuna hit a two-run homer to push the team total to 301 and his own total to 41.

Four other players have at least 30 home runs, while two more have at least 20.

Pillar’s blast was his ninth of the season. One more from him in the final week of the season will give the Braves 11 players with at least 10 homers this season.

The Braves have five more games after Tuesday to tie or break the record set by the Twins.