Braves, Drake Baldwin Make History in Barrage Versus Diamondbacks

PHOENIX – There is a hot start, and then there is what Drake Baldwin is doing for the Atlanta Braves to start the 2026 MLB season. After Thursday night’s offensive barrage against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 25-year-old catcher moved into some rarified air.

The reigning National League Rookie of the Year scored a run during an eight-run fifth inning, and (according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs) he joined Aaron (1957) and Jimmy Collins (1900) as the only players in Braves history to score in each of a season’s first seven games since at least 1900.

That run was a part of a 17-run deluge that Braves manager Walt Weiss credited his catcher’s hustle in that fifth inning to get it started.

“That’s a catcher who is playing every day that beats out a double-play ball,” he said. “It ends up leading to a really big inning… You never know what those things will lead to.”

Despite starting the season 1-for-7 over the first two of the season, Baldwin has been the model of consistency at the plate. He has since reached base 12 times, slashing .286/.375/.643 with an OPS of 1.018, eight RBI, and a National League best three home runs. He leads the Majors with nine runs scored.

“This is a special hitter,” manager Walt Weiss said on Wednesday. “It's one of those swings that there's a lot of margin for error with his swing because it's in the zone for so long. It's line to line.

“It's high contact with power. You know, and those are the special hitters.”

The second-year player looks to be well on his way to an effective follow-up season. The numbers are fantastic, but he has a long way to go before he catches the franchise record holder (Bob Horner (April 23-May 13, 1985) and Roy Hartsfield (July 15-July 29, 1950) both scored in 15 straight games, according to MLB’s Mark Bowman).

Still, to be mentioned in the same sentence as a Hall of Fame player like Aaron is an honor in and of itself.

The Braves will look to repeat what was a career night.

According to OptaSTATS, this is the first time a team has had 11 different players record a hit and an RBI since the Expos did it against the Astros on June 17, 1979. Then, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, this is the fourth time all nine members of the Braves' starting lineup each recorded an RBI in a game since that stat became official in 1920. It's the first time this has happened since 2001.

That will be a hard act to follow.