Major League Baseball fans are in for a treat this weekend as the top two teams in the game at the moment (the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers) are facing each other at Dodger Stadium in southern California. On Thursday night, we saw Major League history as Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. of La Guaira, Venezuela became the first player ever to hit 30 home runs and record 60 stolen bases in the same season.
How did Acuna Jr. make history?
Acuna Jr. made history by hitting a grand slam in the second inning in an 8-7 Braves win over the Dodgers. The grand slam also scored Braves catcher Sean Murphy of Peekskill, New York, shortstop Orlando Arcia of Anaco, Venezuela, and second baseman Nicky Lopez of Naperville, Illinois. At the time, the Braves went up by a score of 5-1. Acuna Jr. was also one of two Braves players to hit in a home run in the contest. He was joined by third baseman Austin Riley of Memphis, Tennessee.
It was a poor performance by Dodgers starting pitcher Lance Lynn of Indianapolis, Indiana. He saw his earned run average for the season increase to 5.81, as he gave up seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. It was also Lynn’s first loss in six games with the Dodgers.
2023 MLB Statistics
Acuna Jr. should be the overwhelming favourite to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 2023. He leads Major League Baseball with 120 runs scored, 181 hits, 62 stolen bases, and a .419 on base percentage. Acuna Jr. also has 31 doubles, three triples, 30 home runs, 83 runs batted in, 70 walks, 308 total bases, two sacrifice flies, and a slugging percentage of .574.
Two Sacrifice Flies
Acuna’s sacrifice flies came in Braves wins. The first came in a 6-0 Braves win over the Miami Marlins on May 2, and the second came in an 8-3 Braves win over the Colorado Rockies on June 15.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
