Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is known for his incredible balance and power among other skills. Those abilities were on full display Friday.
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning to the Milwaukee Brewers in Atlanta, Acuña mashed a 450-foot home run over the wall in center field to make it a 2-1 game.
The home run, his first since coming back from a torn ACL in 2021, was impressive on its own, but even more so considering Acuña hit it while falling to the ground on his back.
.@ronaldacunajr24 crushed this one.💥#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/lu7gqerGmU
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 7, 2022
Here’s another angle:
Ronnie when he sees his new home run swing 😁 pic.twitter.com/OpYWBGevTk
— Braves On FanDuel Sports Network (@FanDuelSNBraves) May 7, 2022
The 24-year-old finished the day 1-for-4 with the one home run and RBI. Since returning to the team on April 28, Acuña is hitting .207 with six hits and 3 RBI in seven games.
Before his injury in 2021, Acuna was playing like a potential MVP. In 82 games, he had hit .283 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI.
Acuña’s home run was one of the bright spots in Atlanta’s 6-3 loss to the Brewers.
The Braves have struggled mightily so far this season. At 12-16, they are already seven games back of the division-leading New York Mets, and have yet to put together a three-game winning streak.
The team has been in this situation before, however, so it’s too early to panic. Last season, the Braves got off to a 12-14 start in April and were 44-45 at the All-Star break before going on to win the World Series.
