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Atlanta Braves superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. returned to the lineup for the first time after he tore his ACL last season in the team’s 2-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday night at Truist Park.
Acuna, 27, looked like he hadn’t skipped a beat. On the first pitch he saw from San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta, the 2023 NL MVP demolished it 467 feet for a towering solo home run.
Acuna said he “had a feeling” he might do something special in his return.
“To me, that’s just the culmination of all the work I put in,” he said.
Unfortunately for the Braves, Acuna’s solo home run was the lone run they scored, as Pivetta shut the Braves’ offense down afterward.
Pivetta ended up pitching six innings while he scattered four hits and struck out seven Braves’ hitters.
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Padres third baseman Manny Machado broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth inning with a solo home run off Raisel Iglesias to give the Padres a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
The loss drops the Braves to 24-26, who are still looking to rebound after an 0-7 start. The team hopes the return of Acuna can help spur them back into postseason contention.
“He’s one of those players that you better not go get a beer or whatever, because you might miss something really cool, you know?” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
“I mean, he’s that type of force, I think, in the game. I think he’s going to energize everybody. Gonna energize the fans. Gonna energize his teammates.”
“It’s huge,” third baseman Austin Riley said of Acuna’s return. “The talent is there. The energy he brings, having Ronald up there at the top of the lineup. … he can change a game at any point.”
The Braves and the Padres will play the second game of their three-game series on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET.
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