30th homer, 62nd stolen base against Dodgers
Doubled his joy in leading Atlanta to victory

Ronald Acuña Jr. (26-Atlanta) became the first player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to join the 30-homer, 60-steal club in a single season.

With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning of a game against visiting Los Angeles (L.A.), Acuña Jr. launched a grand slam over the left-center field fence off Dodgers starter Lance Lynn (36). It was his 30th home run of the season. In the top of the ninth, he led off with a single up the middle and then stole second base to increase his season stolen base total to 62. Atlanta eventually won by the “Kennedy Score” (8-7).

MLB has had members of the 30-homer, 50-steal club before. Eric Davis (61, Cincinnati) had 37 homers and 50 steals in 1987 and Barry Bonds (59, Pittsburgh) had 33 homers and 52 steals in 1990. However, Acuña Jr. is the first of 23,072 players who have played at least one game in MLB to hit 30 home runs and steal 60 bases at the same time.온라인바카

His average home run distance of 128.6 meters is tied for first in MLB with Shohei Ohtani (29-LA Angels). So much for “power. However, his average speed on the basepaths is 8.5 meters per second, which ranks 186th in MLB. “He knows when to go fast and when to go slow, and he’s smart enough to time his steals,” said Atlanta manager Brian Snitker. To date, Akuña Jr. has an 84.9 percent steal rate.