Ronald Acuña has done something no one has ever done before – and something no one is likely to repeat anytime soon. The Braves right fielder stole his 69th and 70th base of the season during the Braves 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on September 27th, and by doing so became the first player in history to hit over 40 home runs and amass 70 stolen bases.
To put this number in perspective, before the season started Acuña was considered a likely candidate to reach the 40/40 club – 40 Home Runs and 40 stolen bases. Only 4 other players in history had achieved that feat. But Acuña didn’t just reach 40/40, he became the first man in history to reach 40/50, then 40/60 and now 40/70.
Acuña’s 70 stolen bases lead the major leagues. They are also more than the combined total stolen bases for two MLB baseball teams, the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants and only one less than the Los Angeles Dodgers have as a team.
The milestone stolen base took place during the 10th inning of the Braves win against the Cubs. Acuña singled, stole second base (kept the base!) and went on to score the game-winning run on Ozzie Albies’ single. Talk about a valuable stolen base.
Before the 2023 season started Ronald Acuña was chasing a record. Now, Acuña is the front-runner for the National League Most Valuable Player, and with numbers like 40/70 it’s hard to believe the honor could go to anyone else.
From here on out, players will be chasing Ronald Acuña’s numbers. And if this season is to be believed, Acuña won’t be easy to catch.