MATT OLSON

FOX Sports' Ben Verlander tiers over two dozen first basemen to begin his series highlighting the best MLB players at every position.

Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer and J.

Kyle Wright threw six brilliant innings to outduel Zack Wheeler, and the Atlanta Braves evened their NL Division Series at one game apiece with a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Nick Castellanos drove in three runs and made a potentially game-saving catch in the ninth inning, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies over the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves 7-6 in the opener of their NL Division Series.

Philadelphia Phillies reliever David Robertson will miss the NL Division Series after injuring his right calf jumping to celebrate Bryce Harper’s home run in their clinching wild-card victory at St. Louis.

Don Mattingly went out as a winner in his final game as Miami’s manager when rookie Peyton Burdick homered and drove in four runs to lead the Marlins over the NL East champion Atlanta Braves 12-9.

Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson homered for the third straight game, Travis d’Arnaud hit a go-ahead two-run single in the third inning, and Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 5-3, completing a three-game sweep of their NL East rival and taking a two-game lead in the division with three games to play.

Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson homered off Max Scherzer, lifting the Atlanta Braves to a crucial 4-2 victory over the New York Mets and a one-game lead in the NL East.

Austin Riley and Matt Olson hit back-to-back homers off Jacob deGrom in the second inning and Dansby Swanson later connected off the Mets ace as the Atlanta Braves beat New York 5-2 to move into a tie for the NL East lead.

A radio host has admitted he falsely claimed agent Casey Close never informed first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves’ last contract offer.

Matt Olson hit a three-run homer against his former club and the Atlanta Braves won their sixth in a row, outslugging the Oakland Athletics 10-9 and finally catching the slumping Mets atop the NL East.

Rookie Spencer Strider set an Atlanta record with 16 strikeouts while allowing only two hits in eight innings to lead the Braves to a 3-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Oneil Cruz has recorded the hardest-hit ball in the seven years that Major League Baseball has measured exit velocity.

Atlanta outfielder Marcell Ozuna was booed by the home fans in his return, Kyle Tucker singled to drive in Yordan Alvarez for the go-ahead run in the eighth and the Houston Astros beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 to avoid a three-game sweep.

Travis d'Arnaud run-scoring single in the 11th capped Atlanta's second comeback in extra innings, and the Braves beat the Houston Astros 5-4.

Hey, Braves fans, hope you like the core of your team.

The Atlanta Braves have signed rookie outfielder Michael Harris II to a $72 million, eight-year contract to remain with his hometown team.

Ronald Acuña homered on the first pitch of the game, Matt Olson hit his 24th homer and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 6-2 to sweep their doubleheader.

Max Scherzer tied a season high with 11 strikeouts over seven innings and the New York Mets beat the sloppy Atlanta Braves 6-2 to complete a doubleheader sweep.

All-Star third baseman Austin Riley and the Atlanta Braves agreed to a $212 million, 10-year contract, the most lucrative deal in team history and a surprise given he had three additional seasons under club control.

Bryson Stott homered, doubled and drove in five runs to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-4 comeback victory over the Atlanta Braves.

There were 15 MLB players who signed new contracts worth $100 million or more before this season.

The former agent of Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman says his ex-team, the Atlanta Braves, is presenting a “false narrative” about the first baseman’s departure in March.

Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson is serving his final days with Minnesota before leaving for the same job with LSU.

Trea Turner had three hits, including a home run, Freddie Freeman reached base three times in his emotional return to Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Braves 4-1.

Freddie Freeman wasn't prepared for the flood of feelings that came in his anticipated return to Atlanta as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Adam Duvall homered twice off José Quintana, William Contreras and Matt Olson also connected, and the Atlanta Braves won their 11th straight game, 5-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ozzie Albies and the Atlanta Braves have won 10 straight going into their home game Sunday against Pittsburgh, while rookie Bryson Stott and the Phillies have a nine-game winning streak as they host Arizona.

The AL Central-leading Twins start a home series against the AL East-leading Yankees with their rotation in a dire situation.

Ha-Seong Kim had a run-scoring double to give San Diego the lead in a four-run 11th inning and the Padres beat the Atlanta Braves 7-3.

Marcell Ozuna homered and Austin Riley hit a tiebreaking double during a four-run rally in the eighth inning that lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 6-5 victory over the San Diego Padres.

Freddie Freeman arrived at Dodger Stadium and headed to the visiting clubhouse for an emotional reunion with his former Atlanta Braves teammates.

Hunter Greene won his major league debut, Kyle Farmer hit a two-run single in a five-run third inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3.

Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks is set to deliver the first pitch of the season against Corbin Burnes and Milwaukee at Wrigley Field just past 2:20 p.m. EDT, the first of seven games still on the calendar amid rainy forecasts across the country.

There's a lot to catch up on from a bizarre baseball offseason before the 2022 season officially begins with first pitch at Wrigley Field.

The San Diego Padres have acquired left-hander Sean Manaea in a trade with the Oakland Athletics.

The Oakland Athletics posted a farewell photo on social media featuring pitching ace Chris Bassitt and their former superstar slugging Matts, third baseman Matt Chapman and first baseman Matt Olson, after trading them away in cost-cutting moves so familiar to this low-budget franchise. Missing in the mix: departed manager Bob Melvin, who left in October to take over the San Diego Padres. Meanwhile, the A's welcomed back a pair of veterans who have meant so much to the franchise: catcher Stephen Vogt and infielder Jed Lowrie.

Atlanta's trade for Matt Olson was designed to ensure the defending World Series champion Braves will be contenders in 2022. Signing Olson to an eight-year deal only one day later was the foundation of a plan by general manager Alex Anthopoulos to keep Atlanta competitive through the decade. As soon as it became clear the Braves and Freddie Freeman wouldn't reach a deal, Anthopoulos shifted to a new a long-term strategy.

Many familiar faces with impressive resumes are in new places following one of major league baseball’s wildest free agent frenzies.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and five players from the World Series champion Atlanta Braves are among the players who are headed toward salary arbitration hearings that will occur during the regular season after failing to agree to contracts for 2022.

It was a 1-2 punch to the gut for Atlanta’s sports fans.

The Atlanta Braves capped a busy week with another stunning move, signing three-time All-Star closer Kenley Jansen to a $16 million, one-year contract.

Justin Verlander is one of the greatest pitchers of his generation with eight All-Star appearances, two Cy Young Awards, one MVP, one Rookie of the Year and a World Series title.

Coronavirus restrictions in Canada and New York have assured that baseball will again be affected by COVID-19 in 2022.

All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays from the payroll-shredding Oakland Athletics for four players.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Detroit Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson are among baseball's most intriguing rookies this summer.

After cutting ties with Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves have signed new first baseman Matt Olson to a $168 million, eight-year contract.

Patience is often rewarded for both free agents and general managers during most Major League Baseball offseasons.

Patience is often rewarded for both free agents and general managers during most Major League Baseball offseasons. As expected, free agents are flying off the market and trades are getting done at a breakneck pace following MLB's 99-day lockout that froze the league's transactions for more than three months. “It’s like drinking out of a firehose,” said Andrew Friedman, the president of baseball operations for the Dodgers.

Freddie Freeman’s tenure with the Atlanta Braves appears to be over after the World Series champions acquired All-Star first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics.

Matt Olson and Chad Pinder each homered and the Oakland Athletics beat Houston 8-6 Friday night, cutting the Astros’ edge for home-field advantage in the AL playoffs. Houston leads the White Sox by one game for home field in their best-of-five Division Series matchup next week. The AL West champion Astros also own the tiebreaker after going 5-2 against AL Central champion Chicago this season.

Mark Canha hit an RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Oakland Athletics again beat Houston with their final swing, edging the AL West-leading Astros 4-3.

Salvador Perez tied Johnny Bench’s record for homers in a season by a catcher with his 45th, but Chad Pinder’s two-run single spurred a third-inning rally and the Oakland Athletics held off the Kansas City Royals 7-2.

Pete Alonso danced to his second straight Home Run Derby title, besting Shohei Ohtani, Trey Mancini and Juan Soto on a night of record long balls in the thin Rocky Mountain air of Coors Field.

Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer and Kyle Tucker’s tiebreaking solo shot in the seventh inning lifted the Houston Astros to a 4-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros pitches in the sixth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Minute Maid Park. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)HOUSTON - Matt Olson hit a two-run homer to back a solid start by Homer Bailey and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 3-2 Thursday night to take over the AL wild-card lead. The Athletics got Verlander (18-6) for three runs in the first three innings before he settled in to pitch three scoreless frames. The Astros loaded the bases with two outs but Blake Treinen struck out rookie Kyle Tucker to leave everyone stranded. The Athletics tagged Verlander right away in his second start since tossing his third career no-hitter on Aug. 1.

Matt Olson and Josh Phegley each had two hits for Oakland, which finished with 13 hits - just two for extra bases. The A's have won four straight games and 11 of their last 16. They have gained four games in four days on the Astros, closing to within 6 1/2 games of the AL West leaders. In seven starts since the All-Star break he's 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA. Armenteros gave up five runs and seven hits with one walk in four innings.

Matt Chapman hit two home runs for the second straight day, connecting for the tiebreaking shot in the eighth inning to lead the Athletics past the Houston Astros in a 7-6 home run derby of sorts Thursday night. Four players hit two home runs: Chapman and teammate Matt Olson along with Houston's Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa. It was a little bit of 2019 home run derby with the ball flying out of the ballpark everywhere." Correa homered leading off the fifth and seventh innings for Houston, the second giving him 100 for his career. Chapman hit a tiebreaking homer estimated at 453 feet leading off the sixth before Olson's second of the night and No.