May 9, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) reacts after a home run by first baseman Matt Olson (not pictured) against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Braves MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. sent a Brayan Bello sinker into orbit with a monster home run that even Michael Harris II couldn’t believe.
In the first matchup of a two-game set against the Red Sox, the Atlanta Braves almost couldn’t stop putting runs on the board on Tuesday night. Wednesday was a different story, though, as Boston’s young Brayan Bello blanked the NL East leaders through the first five innings. That, apparently, didn’t sit well with Ronald Acuña Jr.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Acuña led off the inning and worked his way into a favorable 3-1 count. That’s when the young Bello made the mistake of missing with his 94 mph sinker up in the zone against a superstar. So Acuña simply demolished the baseball.
Like, really, really demolished it.
Braves: Michael Harris II needed ‘binoculars’ to see Ronald Acuña Jr.’s mammoth home run
Acuña uncorked the monster 470-foot blast into the upper parts of the left field bleachers at Truist Park. And while the moonshot was impressive in itself, Michael Harris II was so stunned at how badly Acuña destroyed the ball that he had to break out his “binoculars” to get a better look at where it landed.
In case Money Mike or any other Braves fan truly couldn’t see where that ball landed after Acuña sent it into another stratosphere, the stats are truly wild. It went 470 feet, as mentioned, after being hit with a ridiculous 113.7 mph exit velocity on a 27-degree launch angle. Unsurprisingly, that’s a home run in every MLB ballpark.
Somehow, though, that’s just the norm for Ronald Acuña Jr. With a .994 OPS entering the game to go with now seven home runs, 21 RBI and 15 stolen bases, he’s truly on an MVP-type track this season. And if he keeps hitting blasts like that, he’ll have plenty of material for his highlight-reel when he gets the award.