The Atlanta Braves head coach once more suspended Ronald Acuña Jr. because
ATLANTA — One day after taking a pitch to the left arm that caused a national conversation about whether or not purposely throwing at hitters is ever appropriate, Ronald Acuna Jr., the rookie sensation for the Atlanta Braves, was back in the starting lineup on Thursday.
Acuna of the Braves is back in the lineup, and the pitcher who hit him is out.
Less than twenty-four hours after taking a 97 mph fastball from Miami’s Jose Urena and declaring himself ready to play in the first game of a crucial four-game series against the Colorado Rockies, Acuna said his elbow felt good.
Acuna was playing left field and batting leadoff. In his first at-bat, he singled. Major League Baseball suspended Urena for six games.
Using a translator, Acuna stated, “Obviously, it was sort of a hard hit,” following an early batting practice at SunTrust Park. “But right now, I feel wonderful and I’m not in any pain.”
The Braves exhaled deeply, realizing the damage a serious injury would have caused to their prospects of making the playoffs. In the NL East, Atlanta leads the Rockies by two games, and both teams are still in the running for the postseason.
After being struck by Urena’s first pitch on Wednesday, Acuna attempted to continue playing, but he was forced to leave the game in the second inning. Soon after, the Braves ordered a CT scan to make sure their 20-year-old phenom was healthy. The results of the X-rays were negative. Acuna could resume playing if the scan returned normal.
Acuna even composed a text message to Brian Snitker informing the Braves manager he was prepared, with assistance from his bilingual colleague Ender Inciarte.
It was obvious that Snitker was relieved. The night before, he and Urena had been dismissed for spearheading an attack from the Atlanta bench.
Before the game, the manager grinned and remarked, “It’s wonderful to be 20 and strong.” He was seated in the Braves dugout. “That he gets to go out there and play today excites me beyond measure.”
Acuna, one of the best prospects in baseball, has lived up to the anticipation ever since the Braves called him up early in the season. Before Urena’s pitch hit him, he had hit home runs in five straight games, including three straight games in which he batted first. In recent days, he had been absolutely unstoppable.
Because Acuna did not have an official at-bat in the series finale against the Marlins, which the Braves won to complete a four-game sweep, the five-game home run streak did not end under baseball rules. A peculiarity of baseball scoring brought an end to the leadoff streak.
In six consecutive games, Acuna was attempting to become the first player in modern Braves history to hit a home run. Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987), and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993) share the major league record of eight consecutive games.
Snitker was furious about the event, despite Urena’s insistence that he was only attempting to pitch inside to set up Acuna for an outside pitch. The Miami right-hander’s intentions were beyond dispute, according to the manager:
