Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. celebrates after hitting his 40th home run of the season. Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. hits leadoff HR to join exclusive 40/40 club

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Sep 22, 2023 8:21 PM ET

Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. reached baseball immortality on Friday, joining the exclusive 40/40 club.

40-homer season unlocked for @ronaldacunajr24 pic.twitter.com/p1hNbllrjH
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 22, 2023

Entering the night with 39 home runs and 68 stolen bases, Acuna didn't wait long to etch his name into the history books. Leading off the top of the first inning against the Washington Nationals, Acuna took starter Patrick Corbin deep on the sixth pitch he saw.

Acuna becomes only the fifth player in baseball history to tally 40 or more homers and stolen bases in a single season and the first since Alfonso Soriano in 2006. The 25-year-old joins Soriano, Barry Bonds (1996), Jose Canseco (1988) and Alex Rodriguez (1998) as the newest member of the 40/40 club, but Acuna has a chance to outdo them all.

Having already topped all four in stolen bases, Acuna is only six homers away from equaling Soriano for the most in a 40/40 campaign.

He is the only member of the 40/60 club. Furthermore, with two more stolen bases, Acuna would become the first and only member of the 40/70 club.

.@ronaldacunajr24 is now:

⚾️ The fifth member of the 4️⃣0️⃣-4️⃣0️⃣ club

⚾️ The ONLY member of the 4️⃣0️⃣-6️⃣0️⃣ club

️ MVP! MVP! MVP! pic.twitter.com/gV6aMtLkxC
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 22, 2023

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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