ATLANTA – It was the kind of standout performance that Michael Harris II and Valiant had hoped to see from his longtime young quarterback. His game included a 3-for-4, Wednesday’s three-RBI bunt single, an RBI double, a thrilling run catch on the caution run to finish top of the Mets in the eighth, and the decisive two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.
Whew. It’s been a lot.
Shaun Murphy (two-run homer), Ronald Acuna Jr., and others were big factors in the Braves’ 7-5 playoff victory before a losing crowd at Troist Park, but no one was more important in this fourth consecutive win in Atlanta—including three Straight wins – from Harris. And the first thing he did after that was to credit Marcel Ozuna for his inspirational message the night before.
“(Tuesday evening) Marcel came to me and gave me the pep talk I needed,” said Harris, describing a brief conversation in the dugout tunnel before Harris lined up for the eighth round of Tuesday’s victory. “He told me my season started with that hit and since then I’ve been hitting the ball really hard and seeing it’s good. He just reminded me I have the potential to be one of the best players in the league, just believe in myself and go out there and don’t worry about the mechanical stuff, just go out there.” And play.”
Harris added, “It means a lot, because my main goal is to go out and help the team win in any way, and I felt like I didn’t do that much. To have a night like this is something that can really get me going, and I’m excited about that.”
Harris was hitting just . 163 with two home runs, eight RBIs and a 0.490 OPS before Wednesday. Then he reminded everyone of his incredible talent—the stuff that prompted the Braves to sign the Atlanta-area native to an eight-year, $72 million contract in August after he played less than three months in the major leagues.
This season didn’t look like his dream rookie year. First, Harris missed 19 games in April after straining his lower back when he hit the outfield wall on a defensive play. He then strained his knee upon his return from the injured list and had to wear a massive brace for several matches.
His season was useless before Wednesday. Or before Ozuna’s message the night before.
I’ve had that situation a little bit this season, hitting . 085 with two homers, two RBIs and .397 OPS over 18 games in March and April,” said Ozuna, who has had an epic slump of his own. Then he heated up quickly and hit . 313 with nine homers, 23 RBIs, and 1.008 OPS on May 27 and the June before Wednesday.
“So I know how important it is the way you face these problems when you’re struggling to help,” Ozuna said. “You want to produce and everything you do goes down the hole. So I said to him, ‘Hey, you’re the best center fielder in the league—not even the league, in the entire MLB. So you have to trust yourself. Starting now, your season starts, so don’t worry about anything in the past, earlier in the season. Forget everything and start the season now.
“And today he came in with a good demeanor, and you could see it on his face.”
When Harris shared Ozuna’s moment with reporters after Wednesday’s game, it surprised some. Honestly, this side of Ozuna was not known outside the club. Harris and Acuña said Ozuna was always there to encourage them and give advice.
“He’s definitely that kind of ballplayer, and he’s always been that kind of guy, that teammate, that buddy,” Acuña said through the team interpreter, “when he sees some kind of young guy with his head down or drooping or he’ll always come and support us and give us Encouraging messages. This is the man and this is what he does for all of us.”
After Harris’ two-run RBI double in the sixth inning on Wednesday, Acuña followed with a single to score Harris with the game tied.
Acuña had two hits and stole two bases to bring his NL-leading total to 28—one behind MLB leader Esteury Ruiz of Oakland. Acuña also likely blocked two runs with his amazing catch in the seventh inning, hitting the wall after securing Tommy Pham’s bases-loaded fly ball for second. The play shorted Pham on a sacrifice fly that tied the score 5-5.
“I know that probably has to hurt, especially with the bases loaded. A ball hits the wall, Acuña comes up and catches it,” Harris said. I mean, he — believe it or not, he and (pitcher Jared) Schuster have the highest peak (vertical jump) on the team. Yeah, you wouldn’t think Schuster was in there, but he’s athletic, too.”
Because Harris made things look so easy during his exceptional rookie season in 2022, hitting . 297 with 19 home runs, 20 stolen bases (in 22 attempts) and 853 OPS in 114 games to win NL Rookie of the Year honors with his teammate honors. Lieutenant General Spencer Stryder, it’s easy to forget that he graduated from Stockbridge High School only four years ago.
and that he was still at Double A for over 12 months. And he did not make his league debut until May 28 last season.
After missing all that time in April, Harris has struggled mightily to get back into the groove he found so seemingly effortlessly as a 21-year-old rookie. While the rest of baseball had made great progress by late April, he was just trying to bounce back after doing very little for several weeks on doctor’s orders after a back strain.
He hit several hard balls during this past weekend’s series in Arizona but didn’t really have anything to show for it. Prior to Wednesday, Harris was 6-for-59 (. 102) with 21 strikeouts and 322 OPS in his past 18 games, with as many double plays in (three) as walks in that terrible stretch.
That is why this game felt so important to him and the Braves.
“Unbelievable,” Acuña said of Harris’ performance. “And he’s going to have a great season. Things are starting to go his way and they will continue to go his way.”
Harris said, “It feels so good just to be able to have a night like this. It feels good to actually see the results and get a ‘W’ on the board. I feel exceptional (physically). No topics no topics. I’m going out there and I feel like Like me. Just waiting for the results to come in, and a night like tonight will give me more confidence to go out there.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker, who was surprised and pleased to see a Harris bunt hit in the third inning, thought it might have helped spark his memorable evening.
“I’m just happy for him. He’s been working so hard and cracking it up,” Snicker said. “It’s not easy when you’re not feeling well. He’s going through a few things for the first time, and to his credit it didn’t affect his defense at all. And you know what? He’ll give himself a chance to right the ship.”
(Top photo: Rich von Bieberstein/Icon Sportswear/The Associated Press)
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