Ronald Acuña Jr. homered in the third inning Thursday. Mike Stewart / Associated PressAug. 6, 2026 10:35 pm EDT Updated ATLANTA — Ronald Acuña Jr. is usually the one who leaves the crowd stunned. But on Thursday night at Truist Park, the Braves outfielder was the one left looking a bit astonished.In the bottom of the third inning Thursday — as his Atlanta Braves faced the Miami Marlins — Acuña sent a 78.8-mph sweeper from Miami right-hander Janson Junk out to left center. The ball flew high into the night, but the home run only happened after it got an assist to clear the wall. Which came from a rather unexpected source.Marlins center fielder Esteury Ruiz and left fielder Heriberto Hernandez rushed to catch the ball, gloves high and outstretched. They collided on the warning track as the ball hit their gloves. It bounced up and into the crowd.Just like that, a two-run homer.
Ronald Acũna Jr. sends one over the wall with a little bit of help 😲 pic.twitter.com/XqdCFklTlb
— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2026For his part, Acuña looked a bit baffled. He stood and looked around before eventually taking off to celebrate the home run, his 10th of the season. The Braves led the Marlins, 2-0, when the game entered a rain delay at the top of the fourth. Play resumed after a 70-minute pause.The Braves entered Thursday’s game seeking their eighth straight win. The Marlins, meanwhile, were coming off a rather miserable July, which included a 12-game losing streak.
