Ronald Acuña Jr. and the Atlanta Braves head to Philadelphia this weekend with first place in the National League East on the line and a star who seems to thrive when the crowd turns against him.
The series opens Friday night after Atlanta split a two-game set with the Washington Nationals and closed it with a 9-0 win on Wednesday. Acuña collected three hits in that game, one of them a home run, adding another highlight to a season already packed with them.
Just days earlier he reached a rare milestone, becoming the fastest player in major-league history to record 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases. He got there 25 games quicker than Alfonso Soriano.
The timing fits a Braves club that sits at 83-57 through 140 games, four games ahead of the second-place Phillies. Atlanta has won eight of its last ten and will try to keep that momentum going on the road, where it has gone 35-33 this year.
The atmosphere in Philadelphia is expected to be loud and unfriendly, especially toward Acuña. After the win over Washington, he made it clear he would not mind.
“I’m so excited every time when I play against the Philadelphia Phillies, because their fans boo me every single time,” Acuña said. “But I love that. I love that. That’s the pressure from their fans. … Let’s see what happens tomorrow. We play with the same energy. The fans bring the energy too. So it’s like a players’ game this weekend.”
The comments capture how Acuña has approached these matchups. Rather than treating the boos as a distraction, he treats them as part of the game. He expects both sides to feed off the noise and the stakes.
The Phillies, at 79-61, need a strong series to stay within striking distance in a division that has tightened at times this summer. Atlanta, meanwhile, can create more space if it continues the form that produced the shutout in Washington.
Once the Phillies series ends, the Braves return home to face the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. For now the focus remains on Citizens Bank Park and a weekend that could shape the final weeks of the regular season.
Acuña’s production and his willingness to lean into a hostile environment have been constants for Atlanta. This series will test both again.
The former NL MVP has struggled overall this season, slashing .243/.345/.416 with 14 home runs and 39 RBI Over 383 plate appearances.
Perhaps a trip to Philadelphia will wake Acuña up.
