ATLANTA — Twenty-five years after attending All-Star Game festivities with his parents at Turner Field, suburban Atlanta native Matt Olson will proudly experience the thrill of being an All-Star in his hometown.
“It’s one of those full-circle things for sure,” Olson said. “It’s always special, but being [an All-Star] in the city where you grew up hoping you could maybe one day do that, being there will be special.”
“It speaks volumes to those three guys, because we haven’t had the best first half,” said Snitker, whose team (39-50) dropped 11 games under .500 with Sunday afternoon’s 2-1 loss to the Orioles. “A lot of times teams doing what we’re doing have one representative because they have to have one. We had three that deserved it.”
There will be a strong Braves’ presence as Atlanta hosts its first All-Star Game since 2000. Olson was just six then. But he has some memories of being present as Sammy Sosa belted some monstrous home runs on the way to winning the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
Now, the city of Atlanta can celebrate one of its own as Olson serves as both an All-Star and hometown ambassador during this year’s festivities. This is his fourth All-Star selection. Needless to say, it may prove to be his most memorable.
It wasn’t until Olson told multiple times about his memories of the 2000 Derby that Sale quickly turned his head and said, “Wait you were there? That’s really cool.”
“I enjoy the festivities, and being able to be a part of an All Star Game at your home stadium makes it a little bit more special, too,” Sale said. “I was obviously especially excited for Matt here, growing up from here and having a lot of family here, being able to take his son on the field, get some pictures and stuff like that.”
Sale also has reason to appreciate this latest All-Star selection, the ninth of his Hall of Fame-caliber career. The southpaw was making a strong bid for a second straight NL Cy Young Award before he fractured a left rib on June 18. Though Sale will be unavailable to pitch until some point in late August, he was certainly a deserving selection. After posting a 6.17 ERA through his first five starts, he constructed a 1.23 ERA over the next 10 starts he made before the injury.
“I’ve always liked participating in the game, but being able to stand at that line and, you know, tip my cap [during pregame introductions] and be able to be at home for an All-Star Game is special.”
Olson’s candidacy was strengthened as he experienced a similar rebound. The veteran first baseman was hitting .214 with a .720 OPS on May 15. But over 45 games dating back to May 16, he ranks 12th among all qualified MLB players in batting average (.316) and eighth in OPS (.984).
“You can’t just mail it in after that month or so,” Olson said. “To be able to turn it around a little, see some results and get this reward for it, it’s a feel-good thing.”
This will also be a special All-Star experience for former Braves Max Fried and Freddie Freeman. Fried, whose Atlanta tenure ended when he signed with the Yankees in December, will be part of the American League pitching staff and may get a chance to pitch to Acuña or Olson.
Olson could enter after Freeman exits. At that point, he and Acuña will both have gained a chance to extend a city tradition. Hank Aaron homered when the All-Star Game was first played in Atlanta in 1972. Chipper Jones then highlighted a three-hit game with a home run when the Midsummer Classic returned to Atlanta in 2000.
Sale earned seven straight All-Star selections from 2012-18 and then battled injuries over the next few years. The Braves have benefited from the gamble they took on the pitcher when they acquired him from the Red Sox in Dec. 2023, despite the fact he had totaled 151 innings over the previous four seasons combined. Sale has since won a Cy Young Award (2024) and earned two All-Star selections.
“I’ve always been able to appreciate each [selection] for what they are, knowing that this isn’t a guarantee any given year,” Sale said. “So, you try to kind of separate things and enjoy it for what it is, and be in the moment knowing that this could always be your last one. So you always try to kind of treat it like your first one.”