Marcell Ozuna is one of the few players to get a hit in a game and then get benched for it. It wasn’t because of the hit, but because of his reaction to it and what he did afterward.
Atlanta Braves designated hitter launched a 415-foot shot to center field off Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen, but instead of running the bases, he stood at the plate for seven seconds and watched what he thought was the tie-breaking run in the top of the fourth inning.
The ball would bounce off the bottom of the home run porch just to the right of center field and land back in play.
The delayed reaction forced Ozuna to settle for a very long single. Braves manager Brian Snitker pulled him from the game two innings later.
This long single was a bit of bad luck as the 415-foot shot to center field would’ve been a home run in 23 of 30 MLB ballparks. But at Chase Field, it wasn’t. He would eventually make it to second base on a wild pitch and would eventually get to third, but never scored. He likely would’ve scored if not for his behavior.
Fortunately for Ozuna, the Braves won on an Eddie Rosario grand slam in the top of the ninth.
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The Braves manager later confirmed that he pulled Ozuna because he watched the ball rather than hustling to the bases.
“Yeah,” Snitker said of why he substituted Murphy for Ozuna. “I guarantee he feels worse about it than I did for having to take him out.”
Ozuna is batting .227/.312/.468 in 2023 with 11 home runs and 23 RBI.
The Braves lead the NL East with a 35-24 record.
