Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. made history on Friday night by stealing a base against the Colorado Rockies (GameTracker). Acuña's steal, his 30th of the year, made him the first player in Major League Baseball history to record at least 15 home runs and 30 stolen bases in his team's first 70 games, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
.@Ronaldacunajr24 is the 1st player in MLB history with 15 HR and 30 SB in the first 70 games of a season.
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) June 17, 2023
(h/t @ESPNStatsInfo) pic.twitter.com/J10zHf2aau
Acuña, 25, entered the game hitting .331/.403/.576 (160 OPS+) with 15 home runs and 29 stolen bases (on 35 attempts) to go with 45 runs batted in. His contributions had been worth an estimated 3.8 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
Acuña is, obviously, well positioned to record a 30-30 campaign, having accomplished half the feat in fewer than 50% of the season. This would be the second of his career. Back in 2019, he homered 41 times and swiped 37 bases. There have been 65 30-homer, 30-steal seasons in MLB history, including most recently Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins' effort in 2021.
It's worth noting that the record for the most stolen bases in a 30-plus-homer season belongs to Barry Bonds. Back in 1990, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he stole 52 bases and homered 33 times.
Previously, the fastest to those marks had been César Cedeño, who required 71 games for the 1974 Houston Astros. Cedeño finished that season with 26 home runs and 57 stolen bases (on 74 total tries).
The Braves came into play on Friday with a 43-26 record on the year, putting them in first place in the National League East. They had a five-game advantage over the second-place Miami Marlins.
