Walt Weiss Opens Up About What Ozzie Albies Means to Atlanta

· Yahoo Sports

Albies delivered again.

Ozzie Albies stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday with one out, Matt Olson on first, and the Truist Park crowd already on its feet.

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Down 3-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers, Albies worked through a two-strike count against lefty Aaron Ashby before checking his swing to stay alive.

On the next offering, he drove a two-run shot into the right field seats for a walk-off homer that gave the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 win and the series over the NL Central leaders.

It was his second homer of the afternoon and his 12th of the 2026 season, capping a 3-for-4 day with three RBIs. Ashby, who came in with a league-leading 10 wins, took his first loss of the year.

Braves manager Walt Weiss praised the way his team keeps finding new heroes.

"That's another good team win," Weiss said. "It seems like it's somebody new [being the hero] virtually every day. It's a good series to win."

What Albies Means to Atlanta

The win pushed the Braves to 48-27, the best record in the National League and 7.5 games up on the Phillies in the NL East.

Atlanta has built its success this year around depth and different players stepping up, and Saturday was a perfect example.

Chris Sale was strong on the mound, going 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts and two unearned runs.

But it was Albies, a player who has called Atlanta home for nearly a decade, who delivered the final blow.

Weiss also spoke on what Albies has gone through to get here.

"He's been a great player here for a long time and he's dealt with some injuries," Weiss said. "Guys who have dealt with injuries and miss a lot of time, it's difficult. He's been battling that the last couple of years and he's healthy now."

Albies Back Where He Belongs

That wasn't just coach-speak from Weiss.

The last two seasons were particularly difficult for Albies, who dealt with a hamate bone fracture in September 2025 and saw his production dip well before that injury.

But a healthy 2026 has changed the conversation entirely.

He is hitting .284 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs while posting a .788 OPS, numbers that look much more like the player Atlanta has always known him to be.

This is Albies' 10th season in a Braves uniform.

He was part of the 2021 World Series championship team, a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger who has long been one of the faces of this franchise.

Saturday's blast was his fourth career walk-off home run, and when Albies is right, he is still one of the more dangerous hitters in the National League.

Atlanta is counting on that the rest of the way.

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