Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. has been aggressive on the base paths all season long. During the first inning of Saturday’s game against the Brewers, he made MLB history after swiping yet another base.
Acuña picked up his 50th stolen base of the season on Saturday following a first-inning single off Julio Teheran. In doing so, he became the first player ever to record 20 or more home runs and 50 or more stolen bases before the month of August, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
The last players to steal more than 50 bases in a season were Dee Strange-Gordon (60) and Billy Hamilton (59) back in 2017. Acuña did it in July, during Atlanta’s 102nd game of the season.
.@RonaldAcunaJr24 just keeps running into the record books.🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/37UoDk268K
— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2023
With 60 games left on the schedule Acuña is on pace to steal nearly 30 more bases during the campaign. Since 2000, only three players have stolen 70 or more bases; Jose Reyes (78), Jacoby Ellsbury (70) and Scott Podsednik (70).
Acuña has been successful on 50 of his 59 stolen base attempts this season. Prior to the 2023 campaign, the outfielder had never stolen more than 37 bases in a single season, and hadn’t eclipsed 30 in any of the last three.
His hyperactive approach on the base paths has proven greatly beneficial. Batting atop one of the strongest lineups in MLB, Acuña leads the league with 89 runs.
