Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
With one more home run, the Braves outfielder will join one of baseball’s smallest clubs
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is closing in on baseball immortality.
With ten games remaining, the Braves have already clinched both the NL East, and a first-round bye in the MLB playoffs. But their talented outfielder, and MVP favorite, has just one little bit of business left on his to-do list before joining one of baseball’s smallest clubs.
The 40/40 Club.
Only four players — Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Alfonso Soriano — have hit 40 home run and stolen 40 bases in a single season. Canseco was the first player in MLB history to accomplish the feat, back in 1998 when he hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases. Bonds matched those numbers almost a decade later in 1996, and Rodriguez smashed another 42 home runs in 1998, along with 46 steals.
Soriano joined the club in 2006, hitting 46 home runs and stealing 41 bases for the Washington Nationals.
But with ten games left in the year, Acuña is set to join the club with rare numbers of his own. As the Braves begin a three-game series at Washington on Thursday night, Acuña has 39 home runs on the year, along with 67 steals.
As you can see above, no player has ever joined the 40/40 Club with more than 46 stolen bases.
While Acuña was held without a home run Wednesday night in Atlanta’s 6-5 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, he homered twice Tuesday as the Braves topped the Phillies 9-3. His first blast of the night came on the very first pitch he saw, as he led off the bottom of the first with a blast to left field:
As the team noted, this was the 33rd leadoff home run of Acuña’s career, and his seventh this season. It was also his third home run this season on the first pitch, something he has now done 13 times in his career.
Then in the bottom of the seventh, Acuña put himself on the doorstep of history:
With just one more home run, Acuña will join that exclusive club.
And start a new club of his own.
The 40/60 Club.
