Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. shatters MLB history with never seen before, untouchable career average

Hunter Cookston

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Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. shatters MLB history with never seen before, untouchable career average image

The Atlanta Braves haven’t had the season they were hoping for by any measure — and what's even more frustrating is just how close they came to making a playoff push. One key issue stands out: the Braves were atrocious in one-run games, and that proved to be the difference.

“Braves are now 75-76 since losing all 7 games on that disastrous season opening trip. Difference in being a club in the Wild Card hunt right now and one heading home in 4 days? About 1 win per month. Throw in all those 1-run losses and it gets pretty infuriating pretty fast,” Braves reporter Grant McAuley wrote.

Despite their overall struggles, the Braves have been playing their best baseball to close out the season. Before Wednesday, they went on a nine-game winning streak, their longest and most dominant stretch of the year — and it was historic.

“Over their last 9 games, the Braves: haven't lost, haven't committed an error, haven't scored fewer than 5 runs, haven't allowed more than 5 runs. No other team in MLB history has done that over a 9-game span,” Opta Stats posted.

Speaking of historic stretches, Ronald Acuña Jr. has quietly made MLB history himself — despite a season filled with ups and downs. The Braves’ franchise star reached a level of consistency no one else has matched.

“Ronald Acuña Jr. is the only player to debut in the Divisional Era (1969) to average 30+ HR and 30+ SB per 162 games played (min. 800 games played),” MLB posted.

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Acuña was in a deep slump before the win streak but has since turned things around. To average a 30-30 season every year is an unbelievable accomplishment — and he’s doing it despite two ACL tears in his career.

It’s wild to consider how much more staggering those numbers could be had he stayed fully healthy. Even with the injuries, Acuña remains one of the best players in the game — and it’ll be up to the Braves to ensure he stays in Atlanta for years to come.

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Hunter Cookston

Hunter Cookston began his career as a sportswriter for the Marion Tribune, where he covered local high school football, basketball and baseball. His passion for sports started at the age of four when he played his first year of tee ball. Growing up in Tennessee, he developed a deep love for the Tennessee Volunteers and Atlanta Braves. Hunter is currently attending Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he is pursuing a BA in Sports Communications/Management.