Braves Nation: Matt Olson closes on team RBI record

Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson hits a RBI single during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, in Atlanta. The Phillies won 6-5 in the tenth inning. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com)

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Atlanta Braves’ Matt Olson hits a RBI single during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, in Atlanta. The Phillies won 6-5 in the tenth inning. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com)

Matt Olson owns the Braves’ single-season franchise record for home runs in a season, as he currently sits at 52.

The first baseman is rapidly closing in on the single-season franchise record for RBI in a season as he currently sits at 131. Olson drove in a run in Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to the Phillies.

Olson trails Eddie Mathews by four for the modern-era franchise record. Mathews had 135 RBIs in 1953. Olson is just one by Gary Sheffield for the Atlanta-era RBI record. Sheffield had 132 RBIs in 2003.

Here is the modern-era record list for RBI in a season:

1. Eddie Mathews (1953) – 135

2. Henry Aaron (1957) – 132

3. Gary Sheffield (2003) – 132

4. Matt Olson (2023) – 131

5. Henry Aaron (1963) – 130

5. Wally Berger (1935) – 130

6. Andruw Jones (2006) – 129

RBI became an official stat in 1920. The all-time single-season franchise record for RBI is held by 27-year-old Hugh Duffy, who had 145 for the Boston Beaneaters in 1894. That’s your Braves franchise history lesson for the day.

Olson currently leads MLB in RBI. Second is the Mets’ Pete Alonso with a distant 114. Should Olson finish as the RBI leader, he would join an exclusive list of Braves players to lead the league.

It would be Henry Aaron and Olson. That’s it. That’s the list. Aaron led the majors in RBI four times with the Braves (1957, 1960, 1963 and 1966).