Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
With one swing Friday night the Braves outfielder not only joined one of baseball’s most exclusive club, he founded a new one
With one swing of the bat Friday night Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. joined one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs.
But with that same swing, he founded an even more exclusive club.
Acuña led off the top of the first with a laser to left field off of Washington Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin that cleared the wall in left field for Acuña’s 40th home run of the season. That made Acuña just the fifth player in MLB history to join the 40/40 Club:
Acuña joins Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Alfonso Soriano as the only members of one of baseball’s most elite groups.
However, Acuña’s blast also created a new club, and perhaps a more elite one at that. Acuña entered Friday night with 68 stolen bases on the season, and with the home run Acuña is now the founding member of the 40/60 Club.
Of the four players who came before him in the 40/40 Club, Rodriguez had the most steals to go along with his 40 home runs, with 46 SBs during the 1998 season.
Acuña’s historic season has helped the Braves to their sixth-straight NL East division title, and has made him the odds-on favorite to win MVP honors in the National League.
