ATLANTA — Marcell Ozuna kept up his torrid start with two more home runs and Chris Sale pitched six innings against his former team, leading the Atlanta Braves to a 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox and a sweep of their two-game interleague series Wednesday night at Truist Park.
Ozuna hit a three-run shot in the first inning and added a solo drive in the third off Nick Pivetta, who was roughed up in his first start since coming off the injured list.
The slugger known as “Big Bear” passed Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead with his 11th and 12th homers of the season, and he also tops the big leagues with 38 RBIs. Ozuna drove one to the warning track in his final at-bat and heard chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the crowd at Truist Park.
Ozuna shrugged off the adulation, which is a far cry from a year ago, when he was struggling badly and his time in Atlanta appeared to be winding down.
“Even if you do great, you have to be on the same level,” the 33-year-old from the Dominican Republic said. “Don’t get comfortable.”