LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. had a full day: The Atlanta Braves star bought married within the morning, hit a landmark grand slam and ended the evening beating NL MVP rival Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He hopes to postpone the honeymoon till November.
Before main the Braves over the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7 on Thursday evening, Acuña wed fiancée Maria Laborde in a small ceremony at a home within the mountains about 45 minutes from the staff’s lodge. The couple have two younger sons collectively.
“I didn’t mention anything to anybody,” Acuña mentioned by means of a translator. “It’s something that I’ve had planned out weeks ahead.”
“Holy cow,” shocked Braves supervisor Brian Snitker mentioned. “I’m better off not knowing most of this stuff, quite honestly, but congratulations to him.”
Acuña’s grand slam broke a 1-1 second-inning tie and made him the primary participant with 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in a season. Atlanta wanted a powerful offensive efficiency to beat a pair of homers by Betts.
“I feel very happy, I feel very special,” Acuña mentioned. “I’m very thankful, I feel very privileged.”
Atlanta took a 7-1 lead within the fifth and held on when Raisel Iglesias struck out Kiké Hernández with two on for the ultimate out.
“That was some kind of game,” Snitker mentioned. “Lived up to the hype, I guess.”
After Acuña’s secret nuptials, he bought three hits and helped the main league-best Braves enhance to 88-45. He despatched a 429-foot shot into the left-field pavilion off Lance Lynn (10-10) in a six-run second inning for his third profession slam. Acuña has 36 profession homers in August, his most in any month. He stole his 62nd base within the ninth.
“He got married and became the first player in history to have 30 homers and 60 stolen bases,” teammate Michael Harris II mentioned. “That’s a pretty wild day.”
Betts was 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs, three runs and two homers, giving him a career-high 38 on the season. His three-run, opposite-field drive to proper with two outs within the fifth pulled the Dodgers to 7-4. Acuña made a leaping seize on the wall however his glove was over the fence and the ball tipped off it.
“It’s hard not to watch those two guys go head-to-head,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned.
Twelve of the sport’s 15 runs got here on seven homers by the highest two long-ball groups within the majors.
After Betts flied out to deep proper main off the ninth, Freddie Freeman walked and Will Smith singled, placing the potential tying and profitable runs aboard. But Max Muncy flied out and Iglesias bought his twenty seventh save in 29 possibilities, his 18th in a row.
The Braves ended August with a 21-8 mark, making an attempt the Atlanta-era file for wins within the month set by the 1999 membership that went 21-7. Atlanta improved its MLB-leading file to 88-45.
“We like to play at our full potential and like to I guess be challenged,” Harris mentioned, “and they’re the team that’s definitely going to challenge us and bring out the best in us. It’ll get our minds right for October.”
The Dodgers completed the month 24-5 and had their four-game profitable streak snapped. They lead the NL West at 83-50.
With the Dodgers trailing 7-1, Betts hit a three-run homer within the fifth off Spencer Strider (16-4), who allowed 4 runs and 4 hits in six innings with 9 strikeouts.
Michael Busch homered off Joe Jiménez within the seventh and Betts hit a solo shot that lower the Dodgers’ deficit to 8-6. His two hits gave him 51 in August, essentially the most in Los Angeles Dodgers’ historical past. Muncy went deep main off the eighth, leaving the Dodgers trailing 8-7.
Acuña, Harris and Austin Riley have been a mixed 7 for 14 with seven hits and 7 RBIs. Each of them homered, too, giving the Braves a significant league-high 253 homers.
Acuña is saving his honeymoon till the season is over.
“Preferably after the World Series,” he mentioned.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Braves: INF Ozzie Albies bought the day without work and can play the remainder of the collection.
Dodgers: RHP Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgical procedure) will start a rehab project Sunday. He’ll pitch one or two innings at Triple-A Oklahoma City and make at the least three rehab begins earlier than rejoining the Dodgers‘ rotation. The aim is to construct him up as a possible starter earlier than the top of the common season.
UP NEXT
Atlanta‘s Max Fried (5-1, 2.85 ERA) goes in opposition to fellow lefty Julio Urías (11-7, 4.41) on Friday.
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