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Ronald Acuña’s History-Making Stolen Base Powers Braves Walk-Off Victory Over Cubs

The outfielder is in a club of his own.

Madison Williams

Ronald Acuña’s History-Making Stolen Base Powers Braves Walk-Off Victory Over Cubs
Ronald Acuña’s History-Making Stolen Base Powers Braves Walk-Off Victory Over Cubs /
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Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. was only part of the 40–40 club for five days before creating a club of his own on Wednesday night: the 40–70 club.

Acuña has officially tallied 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases during the 2023 season, becoming the first MLB player to reach this feat in a single season. 

His 70th stolen base came in the 10th inning in the Braves–Cubs game on Wednesday night when Chicago shortstop Dansby Swanson failed to capture the ball in his glove to tag Acuña out at second.

The four-time All-Star quickly took the second base out of the ground and flaunted it for the whole crowd at Truist Park to see. Needless to say, Acuña will be keeping this base forever.

Right after this moment, Ozzie Albies hit a single to bring Acuña home to score the winning run. With the win, the Braves officially clinched the No. 1 National League seed and a home-field advantage for the NL playoffs.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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