Nick Markakis was one of the first Major League Baseball players to decide to opt out of the season over fears of contracting the coronavirus in the midst of a global pandemic.
The Atlanta Braves outfielder would eventually reconsider his decision and return for his sixth season with the team. In his second game of 2020, Markakis proved his worth.
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He delivered a walk-off home run Thursday night against the Toronto Blue Jays to give the Braves the 4-3 victory. He hit the homer off Blue Jays pitcher Wilmer Font.
“To me, we really shouldn’t have been in that situation,” Markakis said after the game. “I had a couple chances to push a run across there and we didn’t. That’s the beauty of this game. You always get another opportunity.”
The veteran announced last week he would return to the team nearly a month after choosing to opt out.
“It was a little weird but that’s the situation we’re in,” Markakis said. “We’re still out here playing the game. We’re still playing for everybody. We’re still playing for the fans.”
The 36-year-old played in 116 games last year for the Braves. He hit nine home runs and recorded a .285 batting average to go along with a .776 OPS.
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Atlanta improved to 9-5 with the win. Toronto fell to 4-6.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.