Ronald Acuña Jr. achieved a remarkable milestone in baseball by becoming the fifth player ever to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. He did so in an extraordinary manner, which has been characteristic of his entire career.
The anticipation among Atlanta Braves fans, who were eagerly waiting for Acuña to make history, was barely contained when Acuña blasted a laser-like home run over the left field fence at Nationals Park. This remarkable feat occurred in the very first at-bat of Friday night's game, as Acuña unleashed a powerful swing on a full-count fastball from Washington starter Patrick Corbin. The ball left his bat at a staggering 116 mph.
At the age of 25, Acuña accomplished a 40-40 achievement that is unprecedented in baseball history. Notably, Acuña paired his 40 home runs with a remarkable 68 stolen bases, a reflection of rule changes in 2023 that made stealing bases more reliable than ever.
Even when accounting for historical context, Acuña's stolen base total would likely make him the most prolific base-stealer in the 40-40 club. For reference, the previous record was held by Alex Rodriguez, who had 46 steals along with 42 home runs for the 1998 Seattle Mariners.
Furthermore, Acuña has a chance to lead the pack in home runs as well. He is the first player since 2006 to achieve a 40-40 season, joining Alfonso Soriano, who accomplished the feat during his one year in Washington, hitting 46 homers and stealing 41 bases for the Nationals.
On this memorable night in the nation's capital, it was a young talent from La Guaira, Venezuela, who stood alone in the record books.
Acuña's achievement came four years after he narrowly missed the milestone in 2019, hitting 41 homers but falling just short with 37 steals. His journey was further interrupted by the 2020 pandemic season and a 2021 season in which he was on track for an MVP award until a torn ACL sidelined him with 24 homers and 17 steals at the All-Star break.
He missed out on the Braves' World Series victory and battled through knee issues in 2022, making this year's accomplishment even more impressive.
"I’m just happy for him after everything he went through last year — grinding through it all, going through the inflammation and the pain, and now to have a healthy year," Braves manager Brian Snitker commented. "I think when players get hurt, they really start appreciating things in the game and what they’re able to do."
The Braves consistently provide fans with an exciting show, and Friday night was no exception. Following Acuña's historic homer, Ozzie Albies added a single, and Austin Riley contributed a two-run homer along with a pair of sacrifice flies, bringing his RBI count to 96. This puts Riley on the cusp of becoming the fourth Brave with at least 100 RBI, joining Matt Olson (132), Albies (104), and Acuña (101).
After their 9-6 victory, the Braves secured their 99th win of the season, and Acuña has eight more games to potentially surpass Soriano in the 40-40 home run department, which would set a new standard: 40 homers and 70 steals.
