Ronald Acuna Jr. hit the first pitch against him 467 feet for a home run in his dramatic return with the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, almost a year after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Acuna, in his usual leadoff position in the lineup, hit a fastball from San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta and sent it into the left-center field stands.
Acuña’s home run had an exit velocity of 115.5 mph. It was the hardest hit ball by a Braves player this season.
Acuña added a single in his next at-bat and enjoyed a great defensive performance, throwing out Elias Diaz at second base in the eighth inning after a Padres player’s hit.
Machado ruins Acuña Jr.’s party
Manny Machado of San Diego hit a game-tying home run off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth inning to overcome Acuna’s homer, and San Diego went on to beat the Braves 2-1, snapping a six-game losing streak.
Acuña said after the game that he “had a feeling” about a home run in his return.
When asked if he meant he sensed a home run on the first pitch, Acuña replied: “Exactly how it happened… For me, it’s the culmination of all the work I did”.
Acuña said he was “super excited, super happy” to be back and added: “I couldn’t sleep much” after receiving the news of his return on Thursday.
Braves manager Brian Snitker announced Thursday that the Venezuelan would return for Friday’s game.
“He’s one of those players that you better not go have a beer or whatever because you might miss something great, you know?”, Snitker said. “It’s that kind of strength, I think, in the game. I think it’s going to motivate everyone. It’s going to motivate the fans. It’s going to motivate his teammates”.
Read the full article here
