ATLANTA -- Mauricio Dubón’s bond with Chipper Jones has reached the point where he can playfully blame his rough stretches on the Hall of Famer.
“I blame him when my [batting] average went down, just because he wasn’t here,” Dubón said.
Well, Jones was sitting just a few rows up from the on-deck circle when Dubón clubbed a three-run home run that propelled the Braves to a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night at Truist Park.
In fact, after Dubón crossed the plate, he took a few more steps and pointed toward Jones. The legendary Braves third baseman he idolized while growing up in Honduras is now his hitting whisperer.
“It's like having a baseball Bible right next to you, man,” Dubón said.
Dubón tallied a hit in four straight Spring Training plate appearances after talking to Jones in March. That was the first sign the Hall of Famer might be the utility man’s good luck charm.
Wednesday’s home run strengthened that thought. But it doesn’t seem like Dubón needs any luck, as long as the bases aren’t empty.
“He just has a knack for slowing the game down in those big moments,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.
Dubón was under the weather on Tuesday and he was still pretty congested as he spoke after this latest win. But he and the Braves were feeling good when he came to the plate with two outs and runners on second and third base in Wednesday’s third inning.
Everyone was feeling even better when Dubón drilled Patrick Corbin’s 2-0 sinker over the right-center-field fence. The go-ahead homer backed a determined effort from Grant Holmes, who got through some early trouble on the way to allowing just two runs over six innings.
“He's a big reason why we're where we're at right now,” Weiss said. “He's been right in the middle of a lot of good stuff.”
Dubón is hitting .249 with four home runs and a .684 OPS. None of these numbers jump off the page. But the 31-year-old utility man ranks second in the Majors with a .440 (11-for-25) batting average with two outs and men in scoring position.
The Braves have also benefited from Dubón hitting .327 (16-for-49) with runners in scoring position and .305 (25-for-82) with runners on base.
But, the two-time Gold Glove winner has hit just .214 (28-for-131) with the bases empty.
So, does Dubón’s concentration increase when he comes to the plate in clutch situations? Is he just able to harness his emotions better in these spots?
“I think it's more like, ‘I got to make it happen,’” Dubón said. “It's not like, 'Oh, we'll get it later.’ You’ve got to make it happen. I think that's a sense of urgency. I think my whole career, it’s always been like that: Try to make something happen, especially big moments.”
When the Braves acquired Dubón from the Astros in November, they knew they were getting a valuable defender, who was named the AL’s Gold Glove utility man in 2023 and 2025. They also knew they were getting a player who would be beloved by both teammates and fans.
As for Dubón, he gained a chance to prove he can be utilized as an everyday player. He has made starts as a shortstop, third baseman, left fielder and center fielder this year. Most importantly, he’s no longer playing the game, knowing there’s a good chance he’ll be replaced by a pinch-hitter.
“[Weiss] gave me the confidence to go out there,” Dubón said. “I can hit anybody, man. I hit .360 and .340 in the Minors, hitting anybody. When I come here to the big leagues, it's not going to change.”
Dubón’s ability to back this confidence with results has made him a clubhouse favorite.
“All the credit goes to him,” Weiss said. “He’s been doing it since the beginning."