Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna hit his 100th homer in Game 2 of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. It proved the game winner, as the Braves won 1-0 to split Sunday’s games. They did, however, win three of the four contests against St. Louis.
“I was aware (I was one away from 100) right after I hit the 18th home run in Philly,” Acuna said via team interpreter Franco Garcia. “But my mind was never on that. It wasn’t a primary focus of mine. I went something like 10 games without a home run, but that didn’t matter to me. I was playing well. The team was playing well. And that’s my main priority.”
Acuna, who indeed ended a 10-game homer drought, became one of five players with 100 homers and 70 stolen bases before turning 24. The list also includes Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Trout, Alex Rodriguez and Andruw Jones.
The 23-year-old is also the first National League player to have a milestone home run be the only run of a 1-0 victory, according to STATS. The others: Ted Williams (400th homer), Seth Smith (100th), Adam Jones (200th) and Justin Upton (200th).
“Congratulations to him on his 100th homer,” manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s a big milestone for a kid that young, too. He’s going to have a few more of those 100-homer milestones, too. So that’s pretty cool. And a 100th homer to win a game, that’s even more special for him.”
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