Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Braves veteran outfielder benched after launching 415-foot single

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/4/23

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna found himself in the doghouse on Sunday after hitting a ball 415 feet and not even getting extra bases out of it.

Ozuna launched a fly ball to dead center field during the fourth inning of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the ball hit high off the wall and stayed in play. Ozuna, however, had stood at the plate to admire what he thought was a sure home run and wound up having to stop at first with a very long single.

This is a great sport because sometimes you can see someone mash a ball 415 feet (a HR in 26 of the 30 parks) and still only end up with a single out of it. pic.twitter.com/P4H8QtPNHR

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) June 4, 2023

Ozuna was pulled from the game, and Braves manager Brian Snitker confirmed that it was the result of the lack of hustle.

Atlanta manager Brian Snitker confirmed that Ozuna was pulled out of the game after the inning for discipline https://t.co/S6VdT4CfPI

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 4, 2023

On one hand, Ozuna’s fly ball would have been a home run in 26 ballparks. Unfortunately for him, Chase Field is not one of them, and there is no way he is not going to look foolish under these circumstances. Snitker did not really have much of a choice here.

The Braves have had this problem in the past with Ronald Acuna Jr., but those issues seem to be behind him. It’s a bit less excusable for a veteran like Ozuna, who is in his 11th MLB season, but the team will hope this just serves as a little-needed reminder about hustle.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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