Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna booed by fans in Atlanta following return from DUI arrest
It was a season to forget for Marcell Ozuna amid his offensive and defensive struggles. And in his first record appearance since a DUI arrest, Braves fans made it clear what they think of the outfielder.
Ozuna made his first at-bat since August 14 and was booed by Braves fans in Atlanta when he slammed into Jose Urquidy. Ozuna was arrested on Friday for driving under the influence but was released on bail on Saturday morning. It was his second arrest in as many years with the Braves.
Ozuna had previously been arrested in May 2021 for aggravated assault by strangulation and battery, with police witnessing him grabbing his wife’s neck and “throwing her against a wall”. The charges were eventually dropped and he was retroactively banned for 20 games.
Marcell Ozuna booed loudly after punching in his first AB since his last arrest. pic.twitter.com/AVOZ5Hgze9
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) August 21, 2022
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Ozuna was booed again later in the game after another strikeout in the fifth inning. He was lifted for Eddie Rosario at the bottom of the seventh inning and ended his day 0-on-2 with two strikeouts.
Fans weren’t the only ones who gave Ozuna a cool welcome upon his return. Braves Radio Network play-by-play broadcaster Ben Ingram introduced him only as “Ozuna of the Braves” prior to the game.
Here Ben Ingram introduces Marcell Ozuna of the Braves. pic.twitter.com/DOq8QNJpNl
— Baseball GIFs (@gifs_baseball) August 21, 2022
According to CBS46, Ozuna apologized when he was arrested before saying, “I’m Ozuna from the Braves.”
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Ozuna was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail after he was arrested by police on the Atlanta subway early Friday morning for drunk driving and failing to maintain lane tolls, but was released on $1,830 bail dollars released.
“I let my team down and I let my family down,” Ozuna said, according to the Braves. “I do not have anything to say in addition. It is a legal matter.”
“The Atlanta Braves are aware of the arrest of Marcell Ozuna this morning and are still gathering full facts on the incident. Our organization takes these matters very seriously and is clearly disappointed with the situation. As this is a legal matter, we will have no further comment until the process is complete,” the team said in a statement.
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Marcell Ozuna Stats
The off-field issues have only exacerbated Ozuna’s on-field struggles over the past two seasons.
This season, he’s posted a .214/.263/.393 slash with 20 homers, 107 strikeouts, and 27 walks in 107 games for -1.4 bWAR. Last year it was a .213/.288/.356 slash with seven homers, 46 strikeouts and 19 walks in 48 games for -0.2 bWAR.
Ozuna had signed a four-year, $65 million deal with Atlanta ahead of the 2021 season after his stellar 2020 season that helped the team reach the NLCS and carried him sixth in the NL MVP vote.