Acuña honors Hank while accepting Aaron Award
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LAS VEGAS -- There was no red on the welcome carpet at the first All-MLB Team Show presented by MGM Rewards -- until Ronald Acuña Jr. arrived. Wearing a custom red satin suit, Acuña turned heads on the black carpet at the HyperX Arena.
The color caught your eye, but it was the stitching on his suit that made Acuña stand out among the attendees. On his left lapel, Acuña’s jersey No. 13 was embroidered in blue numbering with a white outline. On the right? The late Hall of Famer Hank Aaron’s No. 44.
“It was something that we worked on as a family, working with a clothes designer here in the United States,” Acuña said through interpreter Bryan Almonte. “And, obviously, what Hank Aaron means to the game of baseball and also to the city of Atlanta, it just made a lot of sense for us to honor him.”
Acuña’s suit choice was fitting for the event, with the star outfielder winning the 2023 NL Hank Aaron Award, which is presented to the best offensive player of the year in each league. It was Acuña’s first time winning the honor, and he was the first Atlanta player to take home the award since Freddie Freeman in 2020.
“Obviously, this is a very special moment for me,” Acuña said. “I was able to be fortunate enough to meet him in 2018. What he meant to the Braves’ organization … and to be able to be a part of that is really special, and I’m really happy.”
Representing the Aaron family at the show was Hank’s wife Billye, who presented Acuña with the award. The meeting was a long time in the making, as the two have often overlapped at Truist Park but have never had the chance to meet face to face.
“I’ve only seen him from a distance on the field, so it was a real pleasure to see him in person,” Aaron said. “And to see that he’s so young. He has a lot of years ahead of him. And I’m so proud that he does so well in Major League Baseball and he’s on this track to catching Henry Aaron, and I’m happy about that.”
Said Acuña: “It was awesome being able to finally meet the [Aaron] family. I’ve seen them at games at times, but to be able to see them in person and to be able to talk with them a bit, it’s truly incredible.”