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Ronald Acuña Jr. follows in the footsteps of an Atlanta legend

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • Ronald Acuña Jr. hit his 16th home run of the season Sunday to secure Atlanta’s second win in a crucial series against Philadelphia.
  • The home run gave him 1,000 career MLB hits, more than 500 RBIs and more than 700 runs scored.
  • Acuña joined Hank Aaron as the only Braves players with at least 1,000 hits, 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases.

Ronald Acuña Jr. turned a hostile Philadelphia crowd into fuel and marked his 1,000th major league hit with a home run. His 414-foot blast on Sunday gave the Atlanta Braves a decisive win over the Phillies and their second victory in a crucial series.

In important games, Acuña raises his game to another level

· Tyler MahleThe Atlanta pitcher praised Acuña’s performance in the crucial series against Philadelphia.

The Venezuelan outfielder had already shown his resistance to boos in both Major League Baseball and Venezuela’s LVBP. “I love the Philadelphia fans because they boo me,” Acuña said after the game. “So that’s motivation.”

His 16th home run of the season also completed a remarkable run of personal milestones. Acuña had scored his 700th career run and recorded his 500th RBI with home runs during the previous week. The Sunday drive became his 1,000th MLB hit, reached during his ninth major league season.

It is really special. I didn’t even know another level could exist. It is very special to watch.

· Tyler MahleMahle described Acuña’s ability to elevate his play.

That achievement placed him alongside Hank Aaron as the only players in Braves franchise history to collect at least 1,000 hits, 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases. Acuña has now surpassed 500 RBIs, with 504, and 700 runs, with 707. He had reached 200 career home runs earlier in the week.

Great players rise in decisive moments, and that was enormous

· Walt WeissThe Atlanta manager praised Acuña’s milestone home run.

Atlanta pitcher Tyler Mahle said Acuña raises his performance in important games. Manager Walt Weiss also praised the moment, saying great players grow in decisive situations. Acuña’s 1,000th hit came against a 100.5 mph fastball from Alex McFarlane, making it the third-fastest pitch hit for a Braves home run in the pitch-tracking era, according to MLB data. Only home runs by Eddie Rosario off 101.2 mph and Matt Olson off 101 mph were faster. Chipper Jones and Dansby Swanson are the only other Atlanta hitters credited with home runs against pitches of at least 100 mph.

I love the Philadelphia fans because they boo me. So that’s motivation.

· Ronald Acuña Jr.Acuña explained how Philadelphia’s hostile crowd motivates him.
About this summary

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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