Acuña Flashes Glove and Arm In Another Clutch Moment For Braves

This play held the score at 4-4 in the top of the ninth and allowed the Braves to complete the comeback and walk it off in the bottom of the 10th.

The Atlanta Braves' all-star right fielder was glad he was able to deliver the perfect play at the right moment.

"For me, it's just about anticipating those plays and executing. Fortunately, it worked out, and I was able to play it how I wanted to," Acuña said via Braves Director of Baseball Player Relations Franco García translating.

Third baseman Austin Riley, who eventually won the game for the Braves at the plate an inning later, added context to what made the play as big as it was. A power hitter at the plate who can hit the ball hard and far, yet Acuña tracked it down and made a play.

"[Pete Alonso is] a strong man," Riley said. "I really didn't think it was going to carry as far as it did. It ended up doing that and just an unbelievable catch, and to be able to heads-up play and double him up. That was huge."

Tha emphasis on maintaining his arm strength during his rehab continues to pay dividends. Out of the gate, Acuña was throwing out runners. In his first game back, he played a ball off the wall and was able to nail Padres catcher Elias Díaz as he tried to leg out a double.

According to Baseball Savant, his arm strength is in the 100th percentile, which is better than in his MVP season back in 2023. If his arm value qualified to have a percentile, he would be getting up there as well.

Acuña continued to emphasize that he's feeling better than he did at any other point and why that's the case. He was out for a year, but that didn't mean there was a break from putting in the work.

"It was a year off where I wasn't able to play, so it wasn't a year off of training. It was the opposite. It was a year where I could train everyday. I only got Sundays off. It just one of those things where I'm starting to see the results of the hard work that's being put in. We're seeing everything that's coming through in real time."

Along with his fielding, he's batting .392 with a 1.191 OPS at the plate in 95 plate appearances over 22 games. He already has 1.7 WAR in that short time. He was expected to provide a spark to the clubhouse, and he has. It took time for it to translate to wins, but it's starting.

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