The Texas Rangers arrived on Friday to begin a three-game set at Truist Park, a quality early season test for the Atlanta Braves against the defending World Series champions. However, it’s not the good teams the Braves have struggled with through the first three weeks. Atlanta has already played three teams that have competed in the last two World Series with an 8-1 record, and that record would improve following a historic night for Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud.
With Sean Murphy on the shelf with an oblique injury, d’Arnaud has gotten most of the work behind the plate. It’s been a slow start with the stick for the 35-year-old veteran, as he entered Friday with a .200 batting average, no homers, and 55 OPS+ (45% below league average). That all changed in one night.
But before d’Arnaud even got a chance to step into the batter’s box, the red-hot Marcell Ozuna got the Braves offense started, driving in the team’s first run in the first inning and extending his hitting streak to a career-high 17 games. Then it was d’Arnaud’s turn, who gave the Braves their first lead with a 429-foot shot over the left field wall. A few innings later, he would do it again, this time 440 feet over the same wall.
Travis d'Arnaud – Atlanta Braves (2)
pic.twitter.com/gzje0RaSs0— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 20, 2024
With the way Chris Sale was dealing in his fourth start for the Atlanta Braves, it felt like that would be all the offense needed to get the win. But Texas has a pretty good lineup of their own, and they finally got to Sale in the fifth, tying the game at three apiece following a two-run double.
However, d’Arnaud was not finished, and just one inning after his second homer of the game, he delivered a third, a grand slam that turned Truist Park into a frenzy.
Travis d'Arnaud's THIRD homer of the night: Fresh Out The Slammer! pic.twitter.com/hnqTZfi576
— MLB (@MLB) April 20, 2024
The grand slam gave Travis d’Arnaud his second three-homer game of his career, which the broadcast said has only been done by two other catchers in MLB history. The last time he accomplished the feat came back in 2019 when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Michael Harris would tack on another run with his third home run of the season later in the game, and the bullpen would finish the job over the final couple of frames, giving the Braves their fifth win in a row.
Despite being down three All-Stars, they currently own the best record in baseball, and they are doing so against the best of the best. The Braves have already played all four of the teams that have competed in the last two World Series, and they are an incredible 9-1 in those games. They’ll aim to make it 10-1 tomorrow with Charlie Morton on the mound against the Rangers.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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