Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr.. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)
Ronald Acuña Jr. took a pitch to the shoulder against the Mets and had to leave the game as Braves fans accused Tylor Megill of intentionally targeting him.
The series between the Mets and Braves was always going to be a bit chippy as the division rivals battled it out in New York.
Ronald Acuña Jr. having to leave the second game of Monday’s double-header didn’t help cool things off.
Tylor Megill hit Acuña in the shoulder with a 93-mph fastball in the first at-bat of the first inning. The Braves right fielder wasn’t able to shake it off, staying down for awhile in pain while trainers tended to him.
Ronald Acuña Jr. hit by pitch, Braves fans accuse Mets of retaliation
Why do some Braves fans think Megill went after Acuña on purpose? Well, he hit a 448-foot home run in the first game of the double-header and he wasn’t a stoic joykill as he ran the bases.
Would it have been wise for the Mets to retaliate by hitting Acuña at the start of the second game of the double-header, putting the lead off man on base from an 0-2 count? Not particularly, but you never know with these things. The unwritten rules of baseball are necessarily unintelligible.
Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil all got hit in the first game. And McNeil was accused of an illegal slide on a play that scored two Mets on a throwing error by Vaughn Grissom at second base.
So things were already feeling on the edge on Monday.
Either way, here’s the worst take on the subject…
https://twitter.com/gonweatherguy/status/1653144782036672513
The commitment of some baseball fans to sucking all the joy out of the game is unmatched.
You can bet the umpires are going to have to keep a close eye on the rest of the action on Monday.
And if Acuña isn’t seriously hurt after that plunk, he can look forward to getting plunked again later this week. The Braves begin a series with the Marlins on Tuesday.