Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. became the fifth player in major league history to have 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, entering the exclusive club when he led off Friday night’s game against the Washington Nationals with his 40th homer.
Acuña sent a 3-2 slider from Nats lefty Patrick Corbin over the left-field fence for his eighth leadoff homer of the season. He joined Alfonso Soriano (2006), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Barry Bonds (1996) and Jose Canseco (1988) as the only members of the 40-40 club.
HISTORY FOR RONALD ACUÑA JR.‼️
He’s now the ONLY player with 40 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a single season 😱
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/2LLRFuxjLa
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 22, 2023
Acuña, one of the leading contenders for National League MVP honors, entered the game with 68 stolen bases, tops in the majors. He is the only player ever to have a 40-60 season, and in fact, no one before this season had ever achieved a 40-50 season.
Friday’s homer was the 160th of Acuña’s career. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he is the first player in MLB history with 160 homers and 160 stolen bases at age 25 or younger. Acuña, 25, began the night with 175 career stolen bases.
Acuña also entered Friday batting .335 with 101 RBIs and an MLB-best .414 on-base percentage.