The Atlanta Braves are historically good in the first inning
If you feel like the Atlanta Braves score a lot of runs in the first-inning, you'd be very correct
The Atlanta Braves are unstoppable in the first inning. Coming into Friday's game against the Marlins, the Braves led MLB with .998 OPS as a team. They've scored 76 runs and hit 25 homers in the first inning alone. So, naturally, the team hit two more first-inning bombs and scored five more runs.
The Braves are bulldozing teams before the opponent even gets a chance to get in the game (except you, Reds, you earned my respect after that series). It's also not just their hitting. The Braves pitching has been exceptional at keeping runs off the board.
But just how good are the Braves in the first inning? Is it historically good?
How good are the Braves in the first inning in 2023?
After Friday's game, the Braves had scored 81 first-inning runs, which is more than the Mets, Marlins, and Tigers combined. They've hit more homers than the Mets have scored runs, and Ronald Acuña Jr. alone has scored 27 runs, which is more than both the Mets and Marlins.
The Braves have scored more first inning runs than the Mets, Marlins, and Tigers COMBINED
— BravesKast (@BravesKast) July 1, 2023
Braves 1st inning runs: 81
Mets + Marlins + Tigers: 80
pic.twitter.com/mW6czZIQRI
This year, only the Los Angeles Dodgers are even close to touching the Braves first inning success, and LA has only scored 66 runs in the first, 15 fewer than the Braves.
Atlanta has the most homers, with 27. Matt Olson has hit 10, while Austin Riley has hit eight. Coming into tonight, the Braves had 110 first-inning hits. The Rays had the second-most, with 101, but they had also played four more games.
No team is coming close to producing the damage the Braves are to start the game, and that's just talking about their hitting.
The Braves also don't allow runs in the first inning. They have a +56 run differential, which is 15 runs better than any team in baseball, in any inning (thank you, Sarah Langs). At the end of the first, there's a good chance the Braves are already in the driver's seat.
Braves in 1st inning, 2023:
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 30, 2023
81 runs, most of any team in any inning
27 HR, most of any team in any inning
114 hits, most of any team in any inning
+56 run diff, 15 runs better than any other team in any inning https://t.co/JPacMD9ctO
Atlanta's pitching was not the best first-inning staff coming into the game, and their 2.48 ERA was solidly second before tonight's game.
However, the team who had the best first-inning ERA was the Marlins, who the Braves torched for 5 runs. Their first inning ERA rose from 1.98 to 2.49, while the Braves dropped from 2.48 to 2.44.
This team is well above the rest of the league this year, but how do they stack up against other teams of years' past?
Are the Braves having a historic season in the first inning?
If the Braves continue their first-inning pitching success, they'd have the 23rd-lowest first-inning ERA of all-time. That's pretty successful, but it doesn't come close to touching the 1974 Oakland Athletics, who somehow limited opponents to a 1.67 ERA in a full season. If the Braves were to beat this record, they could only allow 25 more earned runs in the first over the next 81 games.
Offensively, however, the Atlanta Braves are historic. The Braves first-inning OPS is .998. There has never been a team in MLB history to have a team OPS above .990 in any inning (not including extra innings) in a full season. The St. Louis Cardinals had a .988 OPS in the first inning in 2000. The 1950 Boston Red Sox are the third, with a .968 OPS in the first inning.
The team is on pace to hit 54 homers in the first and have 228 hits. One player in MLB history has ever hit 50 or more homers while also collecting over 210 hits, and it was done by Jimmy Foxx 91 years ago.
The Braves are also on pace to score 162 runs. This would break the 1950 Red Sox for most runs in an inning ever.
Ronald Acuña Jr's pace of 54 runs would shatter the current record for most runs in a first-inning, which is currently held by 1985 Rickey Henderson and 1993 Lenny Dykstra at 45.
Matt Olson would break Alex Rodriguez's 2001 record of first-inning homers, which currently sits at 18. Only eight players in MLB history have more than 15.
Will the Braves continue their first inning success?
Historically, the safe bet is to say "no." However, as the House That Hank Staff has learned this year from Eric Cole's tattoo bet, sometimes, making the historically safe bet isn't always a good idea.
Tattoo update since you monsters didn't forget about the bet as hoped: Once Ronnie gets to 30 homers, I'll get a GoFundMe set up. If he gets 40/40, I will use that to offset the cost of the tattoo and donate the rest to charity. If not, it all goes to charity.
— Eric Cole (@leprekhan) July 1, 2023
The 2023 Atlanta Braves are one of the best Braves teams we've ever seen so far, and the top of the is a juggernaut. If Ronald Acuña Jr. continues to lead the way in the first inning, it won't be shocking if the Braves shatter first-inning records.