Latest news with #385
NBC Sports
12 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Ronald Acuña Jr. of host Braves to compete in Home Run Derby on July 14 at Truist Park
NEW YORK — Ronald Acuña Jr. of the host Braves was announced Wednesday as the first of the eight hitters who will compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Atlanta's Truist Park on July 14. Acuña, who homered on the first pitch of his May 23 return to the Braves following a torn left ACL, will participate in the derby for the third time. He lost to New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso 20-19 in the semifinals in 2019 after opening with a 25-18 victory over Pittsburgh's Josh Bell, then lost to Alonso 20-19 in the first round at Dodger Stadium in 2022. 'I'm even more excited to be doing it here in Atlanta in front of our fans,' Acuña said through a translator in an interview on ESPN. 'I'm excited to do it at home and do it for them ... and put on a great show for them.' A four-time All-Star, Acuña began the night batting .385 with nine homers and 16 RBIs in 29 games this season. He was the 2023 NL MVP, when he equaled a career high with 41 home runs.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ronald Acuña Jr. homers on first pitch in return from torn ACL
Ronald Acuña Jr.'s return was worth the wait. In his first game since tearing his ACL nearly a year ago, the Atlanta Braves star clubbed a homer on the first pitch he saw from San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta. He certainly looked happy to be back. The homer was a monster by Statcast numbers, leaving the bat at 115.5 mph and traveling 467 feet into the left-field stands. That's the fifth-longest homer of Acuña's career, per Baseball Savant. Acuña Jr. back like he never left after nearly out a YEAR with an ACL injury 🔥(via @MLB) — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 23, 2025 Before Friday, Acuña's last MLB game was May 26, 2024. In the first inning, he went down with a non-contact injury after a quick acceleration on the basepaths and eventually limped off the field. Acuña had previously torn his ACL in 2021, causing him to miss the rest of the season and then part of 2022. Four of his past five seasons have been impacted by ACL tears and the lone unaffected season, 2023, saw him win unanimous NL MVP honors after posting MLB's first 40-homer, 70-steal season. The Braves have languished without their star outfielder, going from 104 wins in 2023 to only 89 in 2024 (part of a team-wide regression). This season, they are 24-25, good for third place in the NL East. They are closer in the standings to the last-place Miami Marlins than the first-place Philadelphia Phillies. Like with most superstars, the Braves are simply a different offense with Acuña atop the lineup. Alongside 50-50 man Shohei Ohtani, he's one of the biggest power-speed threats in modern baseball history when he's on the field, hitting .296/.385/.515 with 84 homers and 135 stolen bases since 2021. Atlanta also recently welcomed back All-Star pitcher Spencer Strider, who can make a similar impact. There was an extracurricular component to Acuña's absence as well, as he caused a minor controversy with a quickly deleted tweet accusing manager Brian Snitker of a double standard over which players get benched for not hustling on the basepaths. Acuña has since apologized to Snitker and his teammates. Judging from his return, they have plenty of reason to forgive him.
