Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Team of workers Essayist
LOS ANGELES — Ronald Acuña Jr. flipped his bat and beat his chest, reveling within the quietness of a surprised opposing society. His second-inning lavish slam from Dodger Stadium on Thursday night time had prolonged the Atlanta Braves‘ early manage towards the one staff that comes related to related their dominance inside the Nationwide League.
It additionally introduced him to historical past in emphatic model.
Acuna’s actual homer, off Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Lance Lynn, made him the primary participant in baseball historical past to acquire no less than 30 house runs and 60 stolen bases inside a unmarried season. He did it at the ultimate past of August, with a complete future nonetheless forward of him. And he did it moment squaring off towards Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the 2 males difficult him for the NL MVP Award.
Acuna may have some catching as much as do.
The Braves’ 25-year-old ethical fielder entered Friday with 6.5 FanGraphs wins above substitute, third-highest within the NL. Betts (7.5) and Freeman (6.8) ranked quite forward of him at the heels of a sizzling future of August, manufacturing that matched the good fortune of a Dodgers staff that has received 24 of its first 28 video games this future. However Acuna entered the extremely expected four-game weekend sequence from Dodger Stadium the majors in on-base proportion (.416), steals (61), hits (178) and runs scored (119).
Acuna now has 150 house runs for his occupation, making him the second one participant in primary league historical past to report 150 homers and 150 steals on the year of 25 or more youthful.
The one alternative participant to try this was once Mike Trout.
