PHILADELPHIA — B.J. Upton broke the Braves single-season strikeout record when he whiffed in the second inning Friday against the Phillies, then he added another K before the game was through.
The center fielder has 173 strikeouts, surpassing Dan Uggla’s previous franchise record of 171 set last season.
Justin Upton, who got his career-high 100th RBI on a first-inning single Friday, is also near the Braves strikeout record after striking out once Friday to raise his total to 170, including 29 in 22 September games. It’s the third-highest total in franchise history and surpassed Justin’s previous career high of 161 in 2013, his first season in Atlanta.
Before this season, Uggla had three of the top four strikeout totals in franchise history, including 156 in his first season with Atlanta in 2011. Uggla was released this year at midseason with 1 ½ seasons and about $19 million left on his five-year, $62 million contract.
The top six strikeout totals in franchise history now belong to Uggla, who has half of them, and the Upton brothers.
B.J. Upton had been on pace for more than 200 strikeouts before manager Fredi Gonzalez began to play him less after the All-Star break. After striking out 146 times while playing 108 of the Braves’ first 116 games through Aug. 9, B.J. has 27 strikeouts while playing in 32 of the Braves’ past 44 games.
The Braves have three of the NL’s top eight strikeout totals, with the Upton’s holding the fourth and sixth spots and Chris Johnson eighth with 155.
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