Matt Olson refuses to shut down, and his ironman streak is reaching historic levels. The Atlanta Braves’ first baseman hasn’t missed an MLB outing since March 2, 2021, back when he was with the Oakland Athletics. In Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins at Truist Park, Olson played in his 896th consecutive game, rocketing past Hall of Famer Stan Musial to claim sole possession of eighth place on the all-time consecutive games played list.
The Streak That Keeps Going and Going
This isn’t just about showing up, folks. Olson’s streak is unmatched in baseball right now, blowing away the next closest player, Baltimore Orioles’ Pete Alonso, by nearly three full seasons; Alonso sits at 523 straight games. While Olson went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Marlins game, he’s still putting up big numbers, hitting .266 with a team-best 31 home runs and 69 RBI. Olson earns that ironman status, starting all but one game during this incredible run.
Chasing Immortality One Game at a Time
What’s truly wild is what this means for the history books. Olson is under team control until 2031, which means he has a long runway ahead. If he stays healthy and remains a daily fixture, he could be seventh all-time by the end of 2027 and crack the top five by the end of 2028. Imagine that. Of course, the legendary Cal Ripken Jr. holds the MLB record with an insane 2,632 straight games, but Olson is already in elite company. Here’s a look at the top nine ironmen in MLB history:
- Ripken, 2,632 games, 1982-98
- Lou Gehrig, 2,130 games, 1925-39
- Everett Scott, 1,307 games, 1916-25
- Steve Garvey, 1,207 games, 1975-83
- Miguel Tejada, 1,152 games, 2000-07
- Billy Williams, 1,117 games, 1963-70
- Joe Sewell, 1,103 games, 1922-30
- Olson, 896 games, 2021-current
- Musial, 895 games, 1952-57
Olson’s relentless durability is something special. Every game from here on out just solidifies his place in baseball history. He’s got his sights set on moving up that list, and if he keeps this pace, we are watching an all-time legend in the making.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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