Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Ronald Acuna Jr. accomplishes a first after stealing base No. 50

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Jul 29, 2023 8:18 PM ET

In pursuit of one of the most historic seasons in baseball history, Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. continues to etch his name into the record books, accomplishing a Major League first Saturday.

In the first inning of the Braves' contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, Acuna stole base No. 50 on the year. Per ESPN Stats and Info, Acuna becomes the first player in MLB history to have 20 home runs and 50 steals before the calendar turns to August.

.@ronaldacunajr24 has reached FIFTY steals.#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/iUxhZMNPxC
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 29, 2023

Furthermore, according to Baseball Reference, Acuna is only the third player since 2000 to have 50 or more steals and 20-plus home runs in a season, let alone through the first four months of the year. And, when it comes to Braves history, Acuna is the third player in franchise history to steal 50 bags in a season, joining Otis Nixon (1991) and Hap Myers (1913).

Soon after breaking the half-century mark in steals, Acuna scored his league-leading 90th run, on pace for 143, a new Braves franchise record.

Acuna is still on track to become only the fifth member of the 40-40 club, entering the night 17 home runs shy of immortality. Ahead of Saturday's action, Acuna was batting .329/.412/.569 with 23 homers and 59 RBI, making him the overwhelming favorite for National League MVP.

According to Oddschecker, Acuna (-500) has the best odds of winning the award, followed by Los Angeles Dodgers standouts Freddie Freeman (+800) and Mookie Betts (+2000).

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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