SI:AM | Ronald Acuña Jr. Approaches a Historic Milestone

Plus, why history isn’t on Georgia’s side as it goes for the three-peat.

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t believe what Ronald Acuña Jr. is doing this season.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏈 The Rams’ revamped coaching staff

🏆 Georgia goes for three in a row

⚾ An overshadowed superstar

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Is 30–60 more impressive than 40–40?

Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. is tearing up the base paths like no one in MLB has in years.

Acuña stole two bases in last night’s win over the Rockies, bringing his season total to 61. That makes him the first player in six years to steal at least 60 bases in a season—and there’s still a month left to play.

The last player with 60 steals was Dee Strange-Gordon in 2017. Acuña could very well finish with more than 70, a plateau that hasn’t been reached since Jacoby Ellsbury in ’09. In fact, Acuña is on pace to finish the season with 76 steals. In the past 30 years, only two players have stolen 75 bases in a single season: Kenny Lofton in 1996 and José Reyes in 2007. No one has reached 80 since Vince Coleman in 1988.

What elevates Acuña's season even more is his fusion of unprecedented speed with the kind of power hitting that has always defined his reputation. Acuña currently has 29 home runs. With one more, he’ll become the first player in MLB history to have 30 homers and 60 steals in a season.

Acuña’s historic season is another example of MLB’s new rules. Bigger bases and a limit on the number of times pitchers are allowed to step off the rubber were intended to make it easier for players to steal bases. And it’s worked. Stolen base attempts are way up this year, from 0.68 per game per team last season to 0.88, and the stolen base success rate has risen by almost 5%. Acuña has been eager to take advantage of the new rules from the beginning. On Opening Day, he got so excited when he realized that Nationals starter Patrick Corbin had already used his two pickoff attempts that he stumbled when trying to take off on the next pitch.

Acuña’s power-speed combo has made him a leading candidate for the NL MVP award. While there are other strong contenders (such as Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Acuña’s teammate Matt Olson, the NL’s home run leader), Acuña’s baserunning makes a compelling case. He’s leading the majors in steals by a wide margin, 10 ahead of A’s outfielder Esteury Ruiz and 21 ahead of Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll in third place. He also leads the majors in runs scored and on-base percentage. Two years removed from a torn ACL, Acuña is better than ever and a huge reason why the Braves have the best record in the majors.

In less fun Acuña news

Acuña was also involved in a scary moment during last night’s game in Colorado in which he was approached by two fans who ran out onto the field. One of the fans wrapped his arms around Acuña as security guards attempted to apprehend him. Acuña was knocked to the ground when the second fan ran in and collided with him.

“I was a little scared at first, but I think the fans were out there and asking for a picture. But security was able to get there, and so I think everything’s O.K. Everyone’s O.K.,” Acuña said through an interpreter.

“I think there were three of them. ... The second guy, he was asking for a picture, too. I couldn’t say anything to him because at that point security was already there, and we were kind of tangled up.”

This was, unfortunately, not an isolated incident. A similar thing occurred during last year’s ALCS when a fan ran onto the field and tried to get a selfie with Jose Altuve. No selfie is worth a night in jail. Let athletes do their jobs in peace.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

• Albert Breer spoke with Sean McVay and Mike LaFleur about how the Rams try to always keep evolving to stay ahead.
• Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame are previewing every division in the NFL. Gilberto took a look at the NFC East, while Matt covered the AFC East.
• As Georgia prepares to go for a third straight national championship, Pat Forde looks back at the unfortunate history of other repeat champs’ pursuit of No. 3.
• Bobby Witt Jr. is having a breakout season, but his talent is being overshadowed by the Royals’ terrible record, Tom Verducci writes.
• If you’re drafting your fantasy team this week, Michael Fabiano explains why the best strategy is to wait to take your running backs.
• The Colts are reportedly in talks with two teams to trade star running back Jonathan Taylor.
• Kyler Murray will be sidelined for Week 1, but the Cardinals aren’t saying who will start in his place.

The top five...

… things I saw last night:

5. Twins infielder Royce Lewis’s grand slam. He’s the first player in franchise history to hit grand slams on consecutive days.

4. Jose Altuve’s cycle against the Red Sox.

3. Fernando Tatis Jr.’s cleats for the Padres’ game in St. Louis, honoring his dad’s historic two-grand-slam inning for the Cardinals.

2. Julio Rodríguez’s home run in the fourth inning of the Mariners’ win over the A’s. It was his third straight game with a homer and his fifth four-hit game in his last 10.

1. Kevin Pillar’s diving catch in left.

SIQ

Which country beat England in a cricket match on this day in 1882, leading one newspaper to declare “the death of English cricket” and leading to the establishment of a series—considered the sport’s greatest rivalry—that has been contested every two years since?

• Ireland
• Australia
• South Africa
• India

Yesterday’s SIQ: In 1997, 26 years ago this month, after the Red Wings victory, the Stanley Cup made its first trip to which country?

• Finland
• Sweden
• Russia
• Belarus

Answer: Russia. The Red Wings’ “Russian 5” (Sergei Fedorov, Viacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Igor Larionov) won Detroit’s first Stanley Cup in 42 years in 1997, sweeping the Flyers.

Fetisov, Kozlov and Larionov brought the Cup to Russia in August of that year, beginning with a celebration in Moscow’s Red Square. The Cup also traveled to Voskresensk, a town two hours outside Moscow where Kozlov and Larionov grew up.

The Cup has been to Russia numerous times since then (including in 2018, when it was briefly lost in Siberia with Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov), but the NHL has not allowed it to travel to Russia for the past two years due to the ongoing war with Ukraine.