CINCINNATI (AP) – The Atlanta Braves’ youth movement is going long.
Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, the two youngest players in the major leagues, both homered and combined for five RBIs to lead Atlanta over the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 Thursday and give the Braves a split of the four-game series.
Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. hits a solo home run off Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey in the second inning of a baseball game, Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Cincinnati. Acuna recorded his second major league hit overall and his first home run. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)Acuna became the youngest player in the major leagues Wednesday at 20 years, 128 days, and went 1 for 5 in his debut. He led off the second inning Thursday with a home run five rows deep into the left-field upper deck against Homer Bailey, singled in the sixth and hit a tiebreaking double off Wandy Peralta (1-1) in the eighth following Freddie Freeman’s third double of the game.
“It’s truly a unique moment,” Acuna said through interpreter Franco Garcia. “Your first home run in the big leagues is a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
Acuna became the youngest Braves player to homer since Andruw Jones against the Reds on Aug. 23, 1997, when he was 20 years, 122 days. He was greeted in the dugout by the traditional silent treatment and walked almost the entire length of the dugout, exchanging phantom high fives, before his teammates pounced to celebrate.