Ronald Acuna Jr. left the fall stage lonely.
The Atlanta Braves lost 1-3 in Game 4 of the National League Division Series (3 wins out of 5) against the Philadelphia Phillies of the 2023 Major League held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA on the 13th (Korean time). Atlanta, with a series record of 1 win and 3 losses, failed to advance to the championship series for the second year in a row.메이저놀이터
Acuna Jr.’s slump was painful. Acuna Jr., who started as the first hitter and right fielder, was silent with no hits in four at-bats. The flashy performance that had appeared throughout the regular season was nowhere to be seen. A well-hit ball was caught by the opponent’s opponent, so he swallowed his disappointment. Acuna Jr. also bowed his head in a match that did not go well.
Atlanta had a chance to come back at the end of the game. In the 7th inning, trailing 1-3, Acuna Jr. came to the plate. Kevin Pillar, Orlando Arcia, and Travis Dano got consecutive walks from a shaky Craig Kimbrel, leaving the bases loaded with two outs. It was a golden opportunity to tie the game with one hit and even a comeback if it led to an extra-base hit. However, Acuna Jr.’s batted ball was blocked by center fielder Johan Rojas’ super catch.
Acuna Jr. hit a 95.8 mph fastball on the 7th pitch in a 2-ball, 2-strike situation. The batted ball flew quickly and strongly toward the center wall. It was a well-hit ball that seemed likely to lead to a long hit. According to Statcast, the probability of a hit was 47%, but Rojas jumped up and caught the ball in front of the warning track.
MLB.com, the official Major League Baseball website, also focused on Acuna Jr.’s sluggish performance. Manager Brian Snitker also expressed deep regret at the moment when Acuna Jr.’s batted ball was caught. Coach Snitker expressed his disappointment, saying, “When Acuna Jr. hit the ball, I thought, ‘Maybe it will hit the wall and fall.’ I was looking forward to it.”
Actually, this at-bat wasn’t the only thing that was disappointing. Acuna Jr. remained silent throughout the postseason. In 4 games of the division series, he had a batting average of 0.143 (2 hits, 2 walks in 14 at-bats), an on-base percentage of 0.143, a slugging percentage of 0.213, an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.508, and only 3 runs and 2 stolen bases.
It was a contrast to the regular season. Acuna Jr. displayed MVP-level performance in 159 games, recording 41 home runs, 73 stolen bases, a batting average of 0.337 (217 hits in 643 at-bats), an on-base percentage of 0.416, a slugging percentage of 0.596, and an OPS of 1.012. In addition, he made history by becoming the first major league player to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases. However, they did not stand out on the fall stage.
Atlanta was the team with the most wins in the major leagues this season, with 104 wins (58 losses), and ranked first in team home runs with 307 home runs, but they failed to work hard and fell to Philadelphia.