Ronald Acuña Jr. came through with the biggest moment of Sunday’s matchup for the Atlanta Braves, launching a game-tying three-run homer in the eighth inning to spark a dramatic comeback.
The home run helped Atlanta rally for a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Acuña connected against Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane, turning on a 100.5 mph fastball and sending it into the right-field stands. The blast evened the score at 4-4 while marking the 1,000th hit of Acuña’s career.
With the milestone, Acuña became just the second player in Braves history to record at least 1,000 hits, 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases. The legendary Hank Aaron remains the only other Brave to accomplish the feat.
It was Acuña’s 16th homer of the season and his fourth RBI of the game. Atlanta’s comeback also stretched its NL East advantage over Philadelphia to five games.
Following the impressive victory, Acuña took to social media to share some exciting news with his fans.
Ronald Acuna Jr. is Partnering With Cousin Maikel Garcia
Acuna and the Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia announced a collab stream. Named “IRL Pa’ Los Libros”, the two brothers will be coming live on the streaming platform Kick soon.
The date for the stream is yet to be announced. Both uploaded the event poster on Instagram, building hype among fans early on.
Garcia is already active on Kick, but for the first time, Acuna will be joining him. His channel name is “thevillain11”. The stream will bring two MLB fandoms together. More details will soon follow.
Ronald Acuna Jr. & Maikel Garcia History
Acuna and Garcia are cousins who grew up together in La Sabana, Venezuela. The small seaside town has produced several major leaguers.
Acuna lived with Garcia in the United States while Acuna’s father played professional baseball.
“We have a lot of memories,” Acuna said in a joint interview with MLB.com during the World Baseball Classic. Both players said they used to bicker as children whenever one beat the other in a game.
“We enjoy every time we’re playing together in winter ball and in the WBC,” Garcia revealed. “That’s amazing, and I think that’s a goal for the family too.”
Acuna and Garcia both made Venezuela’s roster and helped the team reach the tournament final for the first time. Venezuela went on to beat the United States 3-2 in the championship game. Garcia was named the tournament MVP.
