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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| APYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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The talent pool who won the MVP of the season seven years ago, the first 40 (home run)-70 (stealing) milestone in history two years ago, and topped the hit-scoring-stealing list.
But the unlucky man who lost both cruciate ligaments and was on the verge of career over. Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves) is making a spectacular grounding with his return. He has been reborn as an icon of `human victory.'
Acuña Jr. hit a solo home run over the left fence in the bottom of the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Truist Park in Atlanta on the 25th (Korea time). a jolly shot with a distance of 138 meters. Atlanta won 7-1 on the day with Acuña's home run.
Acuña Jr. reported his return by shooting a solo shot to the left-center in his first big league game and first at-bat since he was out of the season due to a ruptured left cruciate ligament in May last year, and announced his revival by hitting home runs for two consecutive games for the second day.
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| APYonhap News |
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Aggressive hitting at agile speed. He was literally an all-around beast with excellent contact and intense power. Despite his small size of 1m83, he even had the power to shoot more than 40 home runs, and his defense was praised nearly perfect in all areas, including speed, batting judgment, defense range, and shoulders. From a young age, he was considered one of the best talents to take charge of the league in the future, along with Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Wander Franco, and grew up as a franchise star representing Atlanta.
In fact, the MVP had a chance earlier. The pace of 2021 was also remarkable, when the league overturned with a batting average of 283, 24 home runs, 52 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.990 (on-base plus slugging percentage) in just 82 games. However, he was out of the season due to a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament due to a twisted knee during the defense process in July.
After the cringe of 2022, it exploded in 2023. He hit his potential to the top and won the National League MVP award with a batting average of 337, 41 home runs and 80 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.012 with 217 hits and 73 steals. He became the main character of the first 40 home runs and 70 steals in big league history.
However, he faced a huge unfavorable factor such as a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee as his knee was bent again during the base running process in May last year. As he suffered both cruciate ligament rupture injuries, he faced the question of whether he could play as a top player in the league, let alone MVP, even if he achieved successful rehabilitation in the future.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Above all, there is inevitably a problem with the base and defense, which were the core values of Acuña Jr. Sens is already alive after the first cruciate ligament injury, but his speed has decreased significantly. A crisis where you may have to change your play style with a focus on your big guns.
However, Acuña Jr. hit home runs in both of his first two games after his return, instilling relief in the hearts of those watching. Baseball fans don't want the superstar who commanded the league to collapse due to injury. I wonder if Acuña Jr. will be able to repay fans' expectations in the future.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
