CUMBERLAND, Ga. — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit two home runs Thursday night as the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 11-3 at Truist Park, but the one people will be talking about came courtesy of Miami's outfield.
Acuña's first homer looked like a deep fly ball until Marlins center fielder Esteury Ruiz and left fielder Heriberto Hernandez converged near the warning track, collided and deflected the ball over the wall for a two-run shot that gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead. Acuña paused to watch the sequence before beginning his trip around the bases.
"Both guys racing after it, both running a long way, both wanting to make a play on the ball," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said.
A rain delay stopped play during the top of the fourth inning. Acuña added a second home run later in the game.
The blooper drew immediate comparisons to Carlos Martinez's home run that deflected off Jose Canseco's head — the kind of play that goes straight into baseball lore.
With the two-homer night, Acuña has 11 home runs this season and 197 for his career. It was his third homer in 10 games since returning from a hamstring strain. In his first nine games back he batted.176, going six for 34 with two home runs and 12 strikeouts. He is rounding back into form.
The Braves have won seven straight and 15 of their last 20, and the standings reflect it. Atlanta holds an 8½-game lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies — a lead that had shrunk to two games as recently as July 18. The Braves also hold a half-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL's second seed, which carries a bye in the Wild Card Series.
