Marcell Ozuna powers Braves past Marlins, feels ‘under control’ facing former team
Credit: AP
Every baseball player has one team he loves to oppose. Maybe it’s the environment, or perhaps it’s the club’s pitching staff, but for whatever reason, the player thrives when facing that team.
And for Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, that opposing team is the Miami Marlins.
“I feel amazing,” Ozuna said after hitting two home runs against his former club. “I feel like I’ve got the world in my hands. Facing them, I feel like I’ve got everything under control.”
Ozuna went 2-for-4 against the Marlins on Saturday night, as the Braves completed their doubleheader sweep with an 8-6 victory. The performance marked his first multi-home run game of the season and 23rd of his career.
And it bookended a good day for the Braves.
The victory — paired with a 7-1 win in the afternoon game — gave the team consecutive wins for the first time since July 12, three days shy of one month. The music blaring in the clubhouse afterwards signified the excitement.
“It’s been a while since we’ve won two in a row,” manager Brian Snitker said. “So that feels really good.”
Ozuna’s torment of the Marlins began almost immediately after he departed from the franchise in 2018. He’s batted .314 with 21 home runs in 75 games since with a .568 slugging percentage, his highest mark against any team in the National League.
And he may soon have company on the list of hitters the Marlins dread facing. Rookie Drake Baldwin is still a few seasons away from solidifying himself as a member of the group — Saturday night marked only his 86th MLB game — but he is already becoming a name for the club to be wary of.
Baldwin is 7-for-17 in the series with a career .400 batting average in eight games against the Marlins. But the most telling aspect of the 24-year-old rookie is his composure in big moments.
He excels in those situations, with 10 RBIs — and counting — in the series, the most by a Braves rookie since the club moved to Atlanta in 1966.
“I just kind of realize it’s still a game,” Balwin said of his success in big moments. “It’s what you kind of grew up doing the whole time. It’s fun to compete, but those are the moments that you really look forward to, so it makes it easier.”
The Braves found themselves with an early deficit against the Marlins, as the visiting club scored four runs off of starter Erick Fedde in the fourth inning to take a 4-0 lead.
But the Braves quickly responded with an offensive showing of their own. Ozuna’s first home run trimmed the Marlins’ lead to three in the home-half of the frame, and a three-run shot in the fifth inning gave the Braves a 5-4 lead.
The Marlins rebounded by scoring two runs late in the game, but the Braves’ eight unanswered runs were enough to hold on for the victory.
“A lot of people right now are coming through with guys on base and getting us runs,” Baldwin said in a lively postgame clubhouse. “And our pitchers are getting us to the end of the game with the lead, which is huge.”
The Braves will face the Marlins in the series finale — and end their stretch of five games in four days — on Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
About the Author
Olivia Sayer joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2025 as an intern on the sports beat. She is earning a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia with a minor in sport management and a sports media certificate. Olivia previously held the titles of digital and assistant sports editor at The Red & Black.
