You may not see the Braves’ Eli White on many MVP ballots, but his name — and now his helmet — will officially be preserved in baseball history.
Following a jaw-dropping two-home run performance at the MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tennessee, the National Baseball Hall of Fame has requested and received White’s game-used helmet for display in Cooperstown.
The reason? White just became the first player in MLB history to hit a home run in the state of Tennessee, and he did it twice in the same game.
A Night to Remember at Bristol Motor Speedway
White was the offensive hero in the Braves’ 4–2 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the uniquely staged game inside Bristol Motor Speedway. He accounted for all four of Atlanta’s runs, first with a three-run blast in the second inning, and later with a solo homer in the seventh to cap off the scoring.
“Yeah, I like, kinda blacked out, honestly, running around the bases,” White told Fox Sports after the game. “The bullpen was getting on me when I went out there to right because I didn’t acknowledge them… That was a super cool experience.”
The performance earned White his first multi-homer game since 2021, and it couldn’t have come on a bigger stage — or a more unconventional one. Playing baseball on the infield of a NASCAR track is rare. Making history while doing it? Even rarer.
A Helmet Bound for the Hall
The Hall of Fame’s decision to collect White’s helmet proves just how unique this moment was. Cooperstown doesn’t just honor the greats, it celebrates firsts, oddities, and iconic moments that shape the sport. White’s home runs checks all the boxes.
For the 30-year-old journeyman outfielder, it’s a moment that symbolizes more than just a game.
Red-Hot Stretch for a Quiet Contributor
White has quietly become a valuable depth piece for Atlanta in 2025. He’s now batting .254 on the season with six home runs and 24 RBIs, but it’s his recent hot streak that’s turning heads: a .348 average, two home runs, and seven RBIs over the team’s last seven games.
In a lineup battered by injuries and inconsistency, White has seized the moment — and now, part of that moment will live forever in Cooperstown.
From Bristol to the Bronx to baseball’s most sacred halls — Eli White just earned a permanent place in the game’s history.