Braves Bench Ronald Acuña Jr. After Failing to Run Out Hit to Right Field Against Dodgers
By Karl Rasmussen
Ronald Acuña Jr. was pulled from Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but fortunately for Braves fans, there's no injury at play here.
Acuña Jr. unloaded on a pitch early in the game, sending a deep fly to right field, which he clearly thought would leave the yard. The ball ended up hitting off the top of the right field wall and came back into play. Acuña didn't run out the play, having already begun his home run trot, and was held to a single after Cody Bellinger quickly got the ball back in play. He was then caught trying to steal second base.
Snitker did in fact pull Ronald Acuña Jr. out of the game. This happened after Acuña didn’t hustle out of the box in his last AB in a big spot. Adam Duvall is now in LF, Ortega slots to CF. #Braves
— Kelsey Wingert (@KelsWingert) August 18, 2019
The Braves then announced that Acuña had been pulled from the game, replaced in the outfield by Adam Duvall. Here's what manager Brian Snitker said about it after the game.
Snit on pulling Acuña: "You've got to run. That's not going to be acceptable here.... The name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) August 18, 2019
He said Acuña handled it maturely and that he knew he screwed up.
While this isn't an injury for Acuña, his lack of hustle seems to have irked Brian Snitker, who turned the lack of effort into a teaching moment, using Acuña as an example for the rest of the team.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is out of the game as Adam Duvall takes over in left field, and Rafael Ortega moves to center field.#Braves pic.twitter.com/Bo8xTLf5Cz
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) August 18, 2019
No matter how much a superstar you are, hustling is a vital part of baseball. Not only do the fans appreciate a player giving his all, but, as was the case here, you never quite know what the outcome of a hit will be. Acuña found out the hard way that laziness has its punishments, and he will spend the rest of the game cheering his team on from the bench.