"This man should be the NL MVP" "It’s a short month too with the AS Break. Crazy" - Atlanta Braves fans ecstatic after Austin Riley breaks Hank Aaron's long-standing record to snatch victory over Diamondbacks

The Atlanta Braves have continued their red-hot streak with a walk-off victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. With the game tied in the ninth inning, Austin Riley ripped a double to the outfield gap to win the game for the Braves. It was a great win for Atlanta and a personal record for Riley.

Over the month of July, Austin Riley had an outstanding 26 extra base hits through 26 games. It's an impressive feat, especially considering no regular games were played during the All-Star break. Today's game-winning hit set the Braves' record for most extra-base hits in a single month.

The record was set by Hank Aaron all the way back in 1959, and it stood for 63 years.

So far this season, Austin Riley has been among the best third basemen in Major League Baseball. Through 101 games, Riley is batting .301, slugging a whopping .604, and totaling a .964 OPS, which is sixth in the MLB. He is also top-five in doubles and home runs, with 35 and 29 respectively. He has been a true leader for the Braves offense that is creeping up on first place in the National League East.

Although it once appeared that the 2021 World Series champions were stagnant, they are a completely different team now. Since early June, the Braves went hot and never looked back. There was a point early in the season where Atlanta was 10.5 games out of first in the NL East. However, they now lie just three games back and could easily overtake the Mets at the top of the division.

Hank Aaron is an Atlanta Braves legend

Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron played 23 seasons in the MLB and was named to the All-Star Game 21 times. He is second all-time in career home runs with 755 and is the all-time leader in RBIs and total bases. He is also a member of the 3,000 hit club, and he hit 624 doubles in his career. He won the NL MVP Award in 1957, the same year he won the World Series.

Hank Aaron is considered the greatest Atlanta Braves player of all time and one of the greatest players in all of MLB history. It is outstanding that Austin Riley broke one of his records so early in his career at just 25 years old.