August 31, 2023 will be a day Ronald Acuña Jr. remembers forever. The Atlanta Braves' MVP candidate has way more important things to remember than the go-ahead grand slam that put him in a 30-home run/60-stolen bases club of his own. Before that key road game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he got married.

The morning before the Braves-Dodgers bout, Acuña married his girlfriend of roughly four years, Maria Laborde, before she and their two young sons, Ronald Daniel and Jamall, had to head back to Venezuela for at least three months due to a clause in their visas. Instead of going through with the initial plans to get married in their home country this offseason, the Braves outfielder wanted to go through with the wedding before his family left, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.

“We're a family,” Acuña said, via ESPN. “Since we've known each other, we've wanted to be together. We have two kids. Family is meant to be together. That comes before anything else. I'm really happy that's going to happen now…It's really complicated when players are alone, because when things are going bad you don't have that support. Family is the most important thing in life.”

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The wedding occurred in the city of Agoura Hills, located 35 miles north of Los Angeles. The day prior to the start of the Braves' four-game series against the Dodgers, Acuña reached out to his business manager to get everything organized, per Gonzalez. He showed up to the wedding with only a few hours of sleep after getting to the team hotel at 2:00 a.m. Roughly seven months after their engagement, Acuña got married in a rushed yet intimate ceremony that showcased his immense love for his family.

Acuña wishes they could stay in the United States with him as the Braves march toward the World Series. His family was there to see him hit his grand slam and record two other hits to help Atlanta beat the Dodgers 8-7. As he approaches the end of the season neck and neck with Mookie Betts in the MVP race — the LA superstar provided some fireworks, too — he'll need to keep up his incredible level of play.