Ronald Acunã Jr. continues to amaze the baseball world as he works his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in his left knee in May of 2024. Last Friday night, it was the eye-popping throw he made from deep right field that shocked both the New York Yankees and the entire baseball world, and on Monday against the San Francisco Giants, Acuña delivered another jaw-dropping moment.
During the 2023 MLB season, Acuña became the first 40/70 player in baseball history, a testament to both his power at the plate and his speed on the basepaths. It was that speed Acuña flashed in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Giants on Monday. With DH Drake Baldwin at the dish and two outs, Matt Olson led off from second base while Acuña took his lead from first.
Baldwin rolled a grounder by the diving attempt of San Francisco second baseman Casey Schmitt and into center field. Olson scored easily from second while Acuña advanced to third … and kept going:
Acuña’s head-first slide into home beat the throw from shortstop Willy Adames, and the electric Atlanta outfielder had managed to score from first on a ground-ball single.
As you can see from this replay angle, Acuña had a perfect read of the play as the single rolled into the outfield, and there was no hesitation from the Atlanta star as he kept chugging around the bases:
When they talk about five-tool players, Acuña is certainly near the top of that list.
