ATLANTA – Ronald Acuña Jr. said he had never before failed to hustle out of the batter’s box.
Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker’s bold move was intended to make sure the 21-year-old All-Star outfielder never lets it happen again.
With Acuña banished for styling instead of sprinting on a deep fly ball, Rafael Ortega stepped up with a sixth-inning grand slam that lifted Atlanta to a 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday. The Braves won two of three in the series between National League division leaders, getting the best of the team that eliminated them from the postseason’s divisional round last year.
Acuña was pulled before the fifth inning after failing to run out a drive to right field in the third. The ball bounced off the wall for a long single, and Acuña almost certainly would have had an easy double if he had hustled from home plate.
“He didn’t run. You’ve got to run,” Snitker said. “It’s not going to be acceptable here. As a teammate you’re responsible for 24 other guys. That name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back of that jersey. You can’t do that.