Ronald Acuna Jr. is on a historic tear of late with eight home runs in his last eight games. He has been stellar and the talk of all of Major League Baseball over the last couple of weeks.
But we are not here to talk about that.
Acuna has been demolishing the Marlins during the current four game series with the team as he has lead off each of the first three games with a dinger and hit two just in the game last night.
Pitch around him in game four? Get him out for once? Nope, the Marlins had other plans.
The first pitch of the night to Ronald Acuña Jr.
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) August 15, 2018
Clearly intentional. pic.twitter.com/TlDpUGOdcW
Well, the Braves were not having any of that as benches cleared not once, but twice in the aftermath. Brian Snitker was ejected (you will not see him madder in this lifetime...as he should have been) and Jose Urena, the deliverer of the very clearly intentional HBP, was ejected shortly thereafter.
Tensions flare at SunTrust Park as Ronald Acuña Jr. is hit on the elbow with a fastball from Marlins starter Jose Urena.
— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) August 15, 2018
The benches clear as both teams meet at the mound. #Braves | #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/s1fGrMjezh
Major League Baseball has been taking a stronger tact on intentional HBPs in recent years, so it will be interesting to see how they handle this. Acuna nor the Braves had injured or jawed with any Marlins players and it is clear that there was intent with Urena. This was, as several have put it, a struggling pitcher on a bad team with nothing to lose headhunting a guy who has been beating them.