Shaun Murphy’s home run lifted the Braves to a historic mark, on his way to breaking the MLB single-season record

The Atlanta Braves continue to hit home runs.

Braves catcher Shaun Murphy hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning of their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, giving them a one-run lead and eventually propelling them to a 2-1 win. It marked the Braves’ 167th home run so far this season, the highest by any team before the All-Star break in MLB history.

The Braves have a 28 home run lead over the rest of the league. The Los Angeles Dodgers are second, with 139 hits on Friday. The Rays average 135 on the season, while the Los Angeles Angels are fourth with 132.

Although the Braves had two games left before the midway point of the season, they were well on their way to setting the MLB single-season record for home runs. The 2019 Minnesota Twins currently hold the record with 307 home runs. The Braves are on their way to reaching over 330.

Matt Olson leads the Braves with 29 home runs, the second-most in the league behind Angels star Shohei Ohtani, who has 31. Ozzie Albies has 22, and Ronald Acuña Jr. has 22. He has 21 – which is the tenth most in the league. The Braves are the only team with multiple players in the top ten.

Murphy’s home run was his 16th of the season. He entered the Friday game hitting . 305 with 69 hits and 50 RBI. The 28-year-old is in his first season in Atlanta after spending his first four years in the league with the Oakland A’s.

The Braves have now won 19 of their last 21 games and hold the best record in baseball. They entered Friday’s game with an 8.5 game lead over the Northeastern Miami Marlins.