WASHINGTON — Ronald Acuña Jr. joined baseball’s exclusive 40-40 club Friday night by hitting his 40th home run of the season for the Atlanta Braves to go along with his 68 stolen bases.
Acuña became the fifth player in major league history to have at least 40 homers and 40 steals in the same year.
The others were Alfonso Soriano for the Washington Nationals in 2006, Alex Rodríguez for the Seattle Mariners in 1998, Barry Bonds for the San Francisco Giants in 1996, and Jose Canseco for the Oakland Athletics in 1988.
Acuña connected off Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin leading off the top of the first inning. It was his 34th career leadoff homer and eighth this season.
A leading contender for the NL MVP award, the 25-year-old Acuña was already the only player in big league history with 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in one season.