Ronald Acuna Jr. Joins Special Club in Atlanta Braves Home Run History on Tuesday
Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan threw a complete-game shutout in his last start against the Boston Red Sox.
Fast forward a few days, and the potential All-Star got a new dose of reality against the Atlanta Braves. At the time of this posting, the Braves lead the Twins, 6-1, in the bottom of the third inning. Ryan has given up six earned runs in his first two innings while allowing a whopping five home runs.
Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. has homered in both the first and second innings, doing something that has only been done five times in Braves history.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
HR in 1st + 2nd inning of game out of leadoff spot, Braves since 1900:
Today Ronald Acuña Jr
9/27/2008 Josh Anderson
5/28/2003 Rafael Furcal
4/18/1984 Claudell Washington
6/13/1957 Bill Bruton
With the multi-home run effort, Acuna is now up to 19 homers on the season. He's on pace for more than 40 homers and 70 stolen bases this season and is making a serious case for the National League MVP award.
In addition to Acuna, the Braves have gotten homers from Austin Riley, Sean Murphy and Michael Harris II.
If the Braves win this game, they'll move to 52-27 on the season while a loss would drop the Twins to 40-41. The Braves have the best record in the National League, ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The two teams will wrap up the series on Wednesday at 12:20 p.m. ET as Kenta Maeda pitches for Minnesota. The Braves haven't posted a starter yet.