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The Atlanta Braves may have lost a tough one Friday night, but the return of Ronald Acuña Jr. gave fans something to cheer about. After missing nearly a full year due to a torn left ACL, the reigning NL MVP made a thunderous statement—homering on the first pitch he saw in his return to the lineup.
Acuña’s 467-foot bomb in the first inning off Padres starter Nick Pivetta was the hardest-hit ball by a Braves player this season, clocking in at 115.5 mph. He followed it up with a single in his next at-bat and then delivered a defensive gem, throwing out Elias Díaz at second base in the eighth inning.
Despite Acuña's heroics, Atlanta dropped the game 2–1 after Manny Machado launched a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning off Raisel Iglesias. It was a tough result for the Braves, who got seven solid innings from Chris Sale. The veteran southpaw allowed just one run and struck out six.
After the game, Sale had a heartfelt response to Acuña’s electric moment.
“That just kind of goes to who he is as a player and the electricity he can create on his own. That was one of the cooler moments I've seen on the baseball field,” Sale told MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Even Braves manager Brian Snitker couldn’t help but admire Acuña’s hot start out of the gate.
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“He's one of those players where you better not go get a beer or anything because you might miss something cool.”
The loss pushes the team to 24–26, sitting third in the NL East—8.5 games behind the division-leading Phillies (33–18) and 3.0 games back of the second-place Mets (30–21). While the standings are far from ideal, the return of their superstar could mark a turning point in the season.
With continued performances like this and improvements from the bullpen, the Braves may have time to climb into contention. For now, Acuña’s long-awaited return provided hope—and proof that he remains one of the league’s most dynamic forces.
