ATLANTA — One final power milestone in the 2023 regular season for the Atlanta Braves was especially memorable for Marcell Ozuna.
The 32-year-old designated hitter homered twice as the Braves tied Major League Baseball’s single-season record of 307, though it came in a 10-9 loss to the Washington Nationals on Sunday afternoon as Jacob Young drove in two runs with a go-ahead single in the top of the ninth.
Ozuna, who had already eclipsed the career high of 37 homers he hit with the 2017 Florida Marlins, got to 40 this year with a ninth-inning drive off Kyle Finnegan, and he also had four RBIs to reach 100 for the first time since 2017. He batted .274 this season, remarkable final stats for a player who hit two homers in his first 18 games and was batting .189 on May 19.
“People didn’t believe the way I believe in myself,” said Ozuna, who hit a three-run homer in the third inning.
After he walked in the seventh, he thought he wouldn’t have another opportunity to hit No. 40.