Fastball

Atlanta Braves' MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. Separates Himself in History with Another Mammoth HR on Friday

After a slow start to the season in the power department, Atlanta Braves' superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. broke out in a big way on Friday night, hitting a 461-foot shot that continues to separate him in baseball history.

Brady Farkas

May 10, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13)
May 10, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

After a slow start to the season in the power department, Atlanta Braves' star Ronald Acuna Jr. broke out in a big way on Friday, hitting a mammoth home run against the New York Mets.

Though Acuna Jr. was just 1-for-5 in total, his third home run of the season traveled a whopping 461 feet and further separated him in baseball history.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

RONALD ACUÑA JR

461 FT
114.2 MPH

Acuña now has 12 career 460+ ft HR, 3 more than anyone else in MLB since the start of 2018

Acuna Jr. hit 41 homers last season en route to winning the MVP in the National League, so we know the power is in there, and perhaps this will help get him going in 2024. Thus far, Acuna Jr. has just the three homers to go along with nine RBI and a .259 average.

He's not the only star to start slow this year. Corbin Carroll (.555 OPS) and Julio Rodriguez (.606 OPS) are both out to massively slow starts in the power department as well. All three players are All-Stars and you have to figure they'll get going at some point.

After the Braves won on Friday, they are now 23-12 on the season, trailing the Phillies in the National League East by 2.0 games. The Mets are 18-19 after the loss and are already eight back.

The Braves and Mets will play each other again on Saturday afternoon with first pitch from Citi Field coming at 4:10 p.m. ET.

Max Fried (ATL) will pitch against Christian Scott (NYM).

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published |Modified
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/History