Ronald Acuna Jr. is a great slugger with a cool attitude. Yet, when players get on his wrong side, he will not hesitate to put up a fight. The Braves and Marlins were having an intense NLDS battle in Game 1 in 2020. Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara drilled the Braves star with a 98 MPH fastball.
Acuna, who had already smashed a lead-off home run, was unhappy with Alcantara’s pitch. It’s not the first time Acuna was hit by Marlins pitchers. Jose Urena drilled Acuna back in 2018. Since then, there has been a feud between Marlins pitchers and the Braves slugger.
Ronald Acuna Jr. ensured that he would give it back to Marlins pitchers whenever he got the chance. The slugger flipped his bat towards the Marlins dugout after smashing a home run against Jose Urena. Additionally, he took to social media to torment Marlins pitchers by taking a jibe at them.
“They have to hit me because they don’t get me out,” Acuna wrote via his X account.
They have to hit me , because they don’t get me out 🤫🤫🤫
— Ronald Acuña Jr. (@ronaldacunajr24) October 6, 2020
The All-Star also took to Instagram and posted a picture of his bat flip with a caption: ‘’I’d like to take this time to apologize to absolutely NOBODY.”
Sandy Alcantara Was Ready To Fight Ronald Acuna Jr. After The Incident
Acuna was pretty clear with his message: He hated the Marlins pitchers for their attitude. Alcantara was not pleased either, as tensions rose between the two teams during the NLDS series. The Marlins pitcher said he was ready to fight Acuna if anything came his way.
The Braves defeated the Marlins and moved on to play the Dodgers in the NLCS. However, they lost to the Dodgers in the short 60-game World Series. The Dodgers were the champions, but the Braves-Marlins feud continued.
Many believe that Alcantara did not intentionally hit Ronald Acuna Jr. Marlins manager Don Mattingly said it was not on purpose. Braves manager Brian Snitker was unhappy with the umpires’ warning. Snitker also said that the hit was not intentional.
However, for Acuna Jr., it seemed unfair, especially since he was hit by a pitch several times by Marlins pitchers. As for the MLB offseason, rumors continue to swirl around top free agents. Pete Alonso has a new potential suitor from the AL West.
