Ronald Acuña Jr. made a dramatic return to the Atlanta Braves lineup Friday night, delivering a 467-foot leadoff home run on the first pitch he saw in nearly a year. The reigning 2023 NL MVP made an immediate statement he’s back and still a dominant force.
Braves manager Brian Snitker had recently claimed Acuña is “in the best shape of his life,” and when asked about it, Acuña simply smiled and agreed: “I think he’s right.”
It’s a strong claim considering Acuña is coming off his second ACL surgery in four years, but his performance backed it up. His home run clocked at 115.5 mph was the hardest-hit ball by any Braves player this season and made him the first in MLB history to hit a leadoff homer in his first at-bat after missing 150 or more games.
Acuña didn’t stop there. He added a single in the third inning and flashed his defensive skills with a highlight-reel throw to second base in the eighth, gunning down Elias Díaz.
Snitker praised Acuña’s impact, saying, “You better not go get a beer or anything because you might miss something cool… He’s that kind of force in the game.”
Even veteran pitcher Chris Sale, who threw seven strong innings in the Braves’ 2-1 loss to the Padres, was impressed: “That was one of the cooler moments I’ve seen on a baseball field.”