The 35-41 Atlanta Braves were in need of a spark heading into their four-game set with the New York Mets, and Ronald Acuna Jr. delivered one in the most emotional way possible. Just hours after his younger brother Luisangel Acuna was demoted to Triple-A by the Mets, the Braves superstar stepped up against Atlanta’s divisional rivals and crushed a home run that felt fueled by more than just competition.
The Braves and Mets rivalry added another chapter Monday night at Citi Field where Acuna Jr. went deep just before ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported on X, formerly known as Twitter, that his younger brother had been optioned to Triple-A earlier in the day.