Acuña, Rodón named Players of the Week
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Carlos Rodón of the White Sox made history with a no-hitter. Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves put on a thrilling show with his exploits at the plate and on the basepaths. On Monday, Rodón and Acuña were recognized for their success, as they were named the American and National League Players of the Week presented by Chevrolet.
Rodón, who took the honor for the first time, was the second White Sox player to win already this season, following Yermín Mercedes (April 5). The last time a pair of White Sox teammates won this early in the season was in 2011 (Carlos Quentin and Paul Konerko).
Rodón was two batters away from completing a perfect game last Wednesday against Cleveland at Guaranteed Rate Field before he unleashed a slider that hit Roberto Pérez in the foot. But the left-hander shook off that disappointment to retire the final two batters and complete the second no-hitter in MLB this season (after the Padres’ Joe Musgrove).
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Rodón joined Musgrove and four others as the only pitchers in history to miss out on a perfecto by a single hit batsman. He finished the game with no walks and seven strikeouts on 114 pitches in an 8-0 Chicago victory. It was a triumphant moment for Rodón, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 Draft, who had battled injuries and inconsistency since his 2015 MLB debut. Non-tendered by the White Sox last offseason, he later re-signed with the club on a one-year deal and is now 2-0 with 14 scoreless innings pitched heading into a rematch at Cleveland on Tuesday.
Acuña has now won NL Player of the Week three times in his young career. The 23-year-old outfielder batted .385/.515/.846 across seven games this past week, racking up seven walks, a double, a triple, three home runs, eight RBIs, 13 runs scored and a stolen base.
Last Thursday against the Marlins, Acuña launched his seventh homer -- a number that still leads the Majors -- giving him 14 total extra-base hits. That matched Hall of Famer Hank Aaron (1959) for the most through the Braves’ first 13 games in any season in franchise history.
Unfortunately for Acuña, he sustained a mild abdominal strain on Sunday against the Cubs. While he is not expected to need a trip to the injured list, he likely will miss some action.