Ronald Acuna Jr. delivered the biggest hit of Sunday’s game for the Atlanta Braves. He crushed a game-tying, three-run home run in the eighth inning.
The blast lifted the Braves to a 5-4 comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Acuna’s homer came off Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane. He turned on a 100.5 mph fastball and drove it into the right-field seats. The shot tied the game at 4-4 and doubled as his 1,000th career hit.
Acuna became the second player in Braves history to reach 1,000 hits, 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases. Hall of Famer Hank Aaron is the only other player on that list. It was Acuna’s 16th home run of the season and his fourth RBI of the game.
The win extended Atlanta’s NL East lead to five games over Philadelphia.
After the win, Acuna revealed exciting news on his social media.
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.
Braves Ronald Acuna Jr. Announces Personal News After Phillies Game