Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. established his own club for power and speed on Thursday, becoming the first player in major league history to produce 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases in the same year.
He reached the milestone in style, slugging a grand slam for homer No. 30 during the opener of a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Acuna, 25, also stole his major-league-leading 62nd base on Thursday as the Braves won 8-7. He ended the night 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a walk.
Previously, the most stolen bases for a player with at least 30 homers was 52 by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Barry Bonds in 1990. That year, Bonds finished with 33 home runs.
Rickey Henderson previously had the most homers during a season with 60-plus steals, registering 28 home runs and 87 stolen bases for the New York Yankees in 1986.
Acuna leads the majors in on-base percentage (.419) while ranking third in batting average (.337), fifth in slugging percentage (.574) and fourth in on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.993).
–Field Level Media
