Ronald Acuña Jr. becomes 1st MLB player to join 40-70 club, then scores to clinch NL's top seed for Braves
Ronald Acuña Jr. became the first member of MLB's 30-home-run/60-stolen-base club last month. Then he created the 40-60 club last week.
You can probably guess where this is going.
The Atlanta Braves star stole his 70th base of the season Wednesday to become the first player in MLB history to post a 40-70 season, swiping the bag in the 10th inning against the Chicago Cubs.
Acuña reached base while tying the game with an opposite-field single to score the extra-innings runner. He stole a bag on the next pitch, then celebrated by pulling second base out of the ground and hoisting it above his head as Braves fans gave him a standing ovation:
𝟒𝟎-𝟕𝟎 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 🔥@ronaldacunajr24 did it.
We'll be ceaselessly reciting this moment for the rest of baseball history. pic.twitter.com/qDqpXPHItB— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 28, 2023
The moment paused a tense situation for the Cubs, who are currently fighting for life in the playoff race and are now tied with the Miami Marlins for the third NL wild-card spot. Of course, the team had only itself to blame after blowing leads in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings one day after Seiya Suzuki's game-costing gaffe.
The next hitter, Ozzie Albies, put the game away on the following pitch with a line-drive single to right to notch a 6-5 walk-off win.
🚨 OZZIE WALKS IT OFF 🚨 pic.twitter.com/cikLgZKclA
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 28, 2023
The win was notable for the 102-58 Braves, as it clinched the best record in the National League, 4.5 games ahead of the 97-60 Dodgers. The 99-59 Baltimore Orioles are the only team in the AL that could hold home-field advantage in a hypothetical World Series.
Acuña, the current favorite for NL MVP honors, has obviously been a significant part of those 102 wins. His stolen base total has been aided by recent MLB rule changes limiting pickoff moves and expanding the bases, yes, but his 2023 season has still been one of the best power-speed combinations in MLB history.
This kind of season is so unprecedented that none of the other players to post a 40-40 season — Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998) and Alfonso Soriano (2006) — posted 50 bases, let alone 70.
With the top seed and (likely) the MVP secured, all that's left for Acuña is to compete for his first career World Series action. The Braves will begin their playoff campaign in the NLDS against the winner of the wild-card series between the No. 4 and 5 seeds, the Philadelphia Phillies and (currently) the Arizona Diamondbacks.
