ANAHEIM -- As catcher Logan O'Hoppe rounded first base after his two-run homer in the fourth inning on Friday, he couldn’t help but exhale and let out a huge sigh of relief.

After all, O’Hoppe’s game-tying homer snapped a career-worst 0-for-29 slump that dated all the way back to Aug. 4. He was hitless in seven straight games before finally unloading on a 1-1 curveball at the bottom of the zone from right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. It proved to be a key hit, with Mickey Moniak also providing a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth and flamethrowing rookie Ben Joyce recording a five-out save in a 3-2 win over the Braves in the series opener at Angel Stadium.

“It was a good feeling,” O’Hoppe said. “Felt a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders. I'm grateful my family is patient. It's been a tough week. I don’t want to go into too much depth but it’s been tough. Obviously, getting out of it still, but it's a good sign. I feel like I finally got something to latch on and build on tonight.”

O’Hoppe’s blast was a no-doubter to right-center field, leaving the bat at 104.5 mph and traveling a Statcast-projected 407 feet. It was the 17th homer of the year and a good sign from O’Hoppe, who is wearing a special chest protector signed by patients from Miller’s Children Hospital in Long Beach as part of MLB Players’ Weekend. O’Hoppe visited with patients on Tuesday and had them draw on the front and sign the inside of his chest protector.

O’Hoppe is trying to raise awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as it’s an issue close to his heart after his father, Michael, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in 2021, but celebrated being cancer-free for two years with 350 family members and friends when the Angels played at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 7.

He also is active with Corey’s Promise after fellow Long Island native and former fellow Phillies Minor Leaguer Corey Phelan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2022 and passed away just six months after his diagnosis on Oct. 13, 2022.

“It means a lot to me,” O’Hoppe said. “My buddy, Corey, who was sick and passed away in 2022, I never got to go see him in the hospital. And that's something that always weighed on me pretty heavily, and I feel like that's just a way to pay it back to him. And hopefully those kids would smile, because I don't know anything of what that's like. Obviously, I saw my dad go through it a little bit, so it means more to me than just a couple drawings on chest protectors.”

O’Hoppe’s skid began on their last road trip, as he went 0-for-22 with nine strikeouts against the Yankees and Nationals before going hitless in six at-bats against the Blue Jays this week. He was out of the lineup on Wednesday to give him a breather and to clear his head with an off-day on Thursday.

O’Hoppe has been a workhorse behind the plate this season, as he ranks second among all Major League catchers with 834 1/3 innings behind the dish and has made 96 starts as a backstop. He also dealt with right knee soreness that caused him to leave Monday’s game against the Blue Jays after six innings. But he was back in the lineup on Tuesday and said it’s something that he believes won’t affect him the rest of this season.

“I just felt like I was getting tied up,” O’Hoppe said. “I’m still working out some of the kinks of it. I felt like everything and my thoughts were the same, but when you go to the video, it just wasn’t the case. So you've got to adjust and rewire.”

O’Hoppe, acquired in the trade that sent outfielder Brandon Marsh to the Phillies at the 2022 Trade Deadline, has already emerged as a face of the franchise for the organization despite being just 24 years old. He’s regarded as a leader by his teammates and has been productive in his first full season as the club’s primary catcher. He ranks third among all backstops with his 17 homers, which is the most by an Angels catcher since Mike Napoli had 17 in ’09.

“I think he got the monkey off his back,” manager Ron Washington said. “He was trying hard, and that one right there he hung a breaking ball, and he didn't try to kill it. He just put his bat head on it and it went. So that's all he needed and I think he’s starting to feel good about himself. He needed that.”