ATLANTA — After Braves superstar and likely National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. slid into second base to record his milestone 70th stolen base Wednesday night, those in attendance took a moment to appreciate history -- all but seemingly the Cubs broadcasters.
Acuña Jr.'s stolen base etched his name into the record books as the only player in MLB history to compile 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season -- doing so in the 10th inning of a tie game. It's a club he single-handedly established by himself, culminating in one of the greatest single-season offensive campaigns any player has amassed.
He followed suit by doing what nearly every other player who has reached at least the 40-40 club has done, he dug the base out of the dirt and hoisted it to the heavens as if it was Simba from "The Lion King." The grounds crew members quickly rushed out to replace the bag, congratulate Acuña Jr. and take the base back to safekeeping. The crowd erupted as he did so and the Braves played a short highlight video on the big screen.
However, Cubs broadcasters Jon Sciambi and Jim Deshaies of Marquee Sports Network seemed less than pleased there was a roughly 30-second delay to honor the accomplishment.
"And we're really stopping the game for a highlight montage?" asks play-by-play broadcast Sciambi.
"Can we get the base after the game? I mean this is pretty absurd," color analyst Deshaies chimes back. "I mean it's a hell of an accomplishment."
"But you can't stop the game for a highlight montage," Sciambi said.
Here's the full exchange below:
Sciambi actually served as the play-by-play announcer for the Braves on SportsSouth and FSN South from 2007 to 2009 before leaving for ESPN. Deshaies played 12 seasons in the MLB, mostly spent with the Houston Astros before joining the Cubs as a color analyst in 2013.
The stolen base set up the eventual winning run as Acuña Jr. scored on a walk-off single the very next pitch.
Reaction on social media
Fans and players chimed in on X to share their thoughts about the reaction from the Cubs' broadcasters.
Former Braves catcher and current Milwaukee Brewer Williams Contreras just shared laughing emojis in response to their reaction:
ESPN insider Jeff Passan took a moment to appreciate the feat:
Jared Carrabis of DraftKings said that he thought the celebration should have been longer in response to the Cubs broadcasters thinking it was too long.
One fan posted a thread of nearly all 40-40 club members celebrating by taking the base out.
A Braves fan and podcaster described his thoughts on the exchange.
