Ronald Acuna Jr smashes third hardest-hit home run since MLB records began… Braves star hammers ball at 120 mph over 400 feet vs. LA
- Ronald Acuna hit a home run in all three games against the LA Dodgers this week
- His 32nd for the season was also the third hardest hit home run in the Statcast era
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Ronald Acuna Jr wrote another chapter of a remarkable season on Saturday night, hitting the third hardest-hit home run since Major League Baseball records began.
Acuna hit a throw from LA Dodgers Emmet Sheehan 130 yards to center field. The hit — his 32nd homer of the season — was recorded at 120 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball by a Braves player according to Statcast tracking.
Only one player has ever hit a harder home run in this MLB era: Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankees veteran occupies the top two positions in the standings.
In July 2020, Stanton’s shot at Washington pitcher Erick Fedde prompted the commentator to explain, “You can’t hit a ball harder.”
But he was wrong. That home run was clocked at 195.3 km/h. Two years earlier, against Texas, Stanton had registered a hit of 190.7 km/h.
Ronald Acuna Jr wrote another chapter of a remarkable season on Saturday night
Acuna hit a throw from LA Dodgers Emmet Sheehan 130 yards to center field
According to MLB, only one ball of any kind has been hit harder since Statcast started tracking. That was Stanton’s too.
On the last day of the 2017 season, the 33-year-old hit a single of 192.2 mph.
Acuna’s speed of 195.2 km/h ended an unforgettable week for the Venezuelan. Thursday morning, the Atlanta Braves star got married before hitting a historic grand slam, beating NL MVP rival Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He hopes to postpone the honeymoon until November.
His 32nd home run of the season was the hardest hit by a Braves star according to Statcast tracking
Acuna Jr said ‘yes’ to his longtime girlfriend, Maria Laborde, on Thursday morning
Before leading the Braves 8-7 over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, Acuna married fiancé Maria Laborde in a small ceremony at a home in the mountains about 45 minutes from the team hotel. The couple have two young sons together.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” Acuna said through an interpreter. “It’s something I planned weeks in advance.”
“Holy cow,” said surprised Braves manager Brian Snitker. “It’s better that I don’t know most things, to be honest, but I congratulate him.”
Acuna’s grand slam broke a 1-1 tie in the second inning and made him the first player with 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a season. Atlanta needed a strong offensive performance to overcome a pair of Betts home runs.
“I feel very lucky, I feel very special,” Acuna said. “I am very grateful, I feel very privileged.”