With his 40th stolen base, Acuña makes more history

ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. created history yet again as he recorded his 40th steal for the Braves as they won their ninth consecutive game by a score of 4-2 against the Guardians at Progressive Field on Monday night.

Acuña’s third-inning stolen base made him the first player in AL/NL history to record 40-plus stolen bases, hit 20-plus homers and record 50-plus RBIs before the All-Star break.

“I’m super happy to be honest,” Acuña said through an interpreter. “I’m really happy for the way the season has been panning out for me and the team.”

Given the All-Star break doesn’t always begin at the same exact point of every season, it may be even more impressive to point out that he is also the first player to ever hit at least 20 homers, steal at least 40 bases and drive in at least 50 runs through his team’s first 84 games of the season.

In fact, the only other players to record 40-plus stolen bases and record a double-digit homer total through their team’s first 84 games were Rickey Henderson (1985, 1986 and 1990), Eric Davis (1986) and Kenny Lofton (1994).

“I’ve always said you better not go get a drink, go to the bathroom or something when he's around, because you might miss something that you have never seen before,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He's a special player and it's fun to have him on our team and be able to watch him every day.”

Along with creating history with the stolen base, Acuña also created some concern when he landed on his right shoulder with his head-first slide into second base. He said he felt just a little initial pain, but was fine as he played the remainder of the game.