Fueled by the sting of last year’s postseason absence, the star first baseman is ready to return.
Matt Olson didn't need much time to explain why Sunday's division-clinching celebration felt different.
For the Atlanta Braves first baseman, the moment was less about what Atlanta had accomplished and more about what the team had spent the previous six months trying to put behind it.
"Sometimes you can take things for granted, and beating the playoffs so much last year left a sour taste in our mouth," Olson told Braves Vision's Wiley Ballard during the celebration. "I felt the focus from first day of spring training."
That focus is what Olson kept coming back to after Atlanta swept the Astros to secure its first National League East title since 2023. The Braves have spent most of the season near the top of the division, but Olson said the urgency behind this group was noticeable from the beginning, particularly after missing out on last year's postseason.
Now, with the division secured and six regular-season games remaining, Olson finally gets to enjoy the part of the season he has been waiting for.
The difference is that Atlanta isn't simply arriving in October after a comfortable regular season. Olson believes the Braves have spent the last few months getting ready for what comes next.
"We've been playing playoff baseball for the last couple months," Olson told Ballard. "Just the teams we're matching up against and the arms, which is good because you build some scars, you get battle-tested a little bit, and you get prepared."
That comment says plenty about how Olson is viewing the final stretch.
The Braves have spent the season facing playoff-caliber teams and pitchers, and Olson believes those games have given Atlanta something that can't really be replicated during a lighter part of the schedule. The goal now isn't to prove they can handle that environment. They've already spent months doing it.
That belief also connects back to the influence of first-year manager Walt Weiss.
Olson called Weiss "probably our No. 1 person" when discussing the focus Atlanta established during spring training. Weiss encouraged the Braves to play with aggression from the beginning, and Olson said he felt that message throughout the season.
There were obviously difficult stretches along the way, but Olson noticed something that continued to separate this team.
"We had a couple bad series, we go to a big series and we rise up to the occasion," Olson told Ballard.
That became particularly important as Atlanta dealt with the expectations that come with trying to win the division again. Instead of allowing every rough stretch to linger, the Braves repeatedly found ways to respond.
Now they have a division title to show for it.
Olson has done his part offensively, hitting .253 with a .506 slugging percentage, 40 home runs and a 123 wRC+ while earning his fourth career All-Star selection. But the regular-season numbers aren't what seem to be driving his excitement right now.
He's thinking about October.
Last year's disappointment is still sitting somewhere in the back of Olson's mind. This time, though, he believes the Braves have spent enough of the season preparing for what awaits them.
And after waiting all year for another chance, Olson finally has his.
