Ronald Acuña Jr. ignites Braves’ 5-0 victory as Sergio Ramos throws ceremonial first pitch for Dodgers

Venezuelan star Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a home run in the Atlanta Braves’ 5–0 rout of the New York Mets on Wednesday — a day when infielder Sergio Ramos also took the mound to pitch for the Dodgers.

At Atlanta’s Truist Park, Acuña Jr. didn’t waste any time making an impact—he blasted a 128-yard home run in his first at-bat to put the Braves on the scoreboard against the Mets.

It was the Guaira native’s 36th career home run in Major League Baseball.

Acuña Jr., the 2023 National League MVP, has already hit eight home runs in the 23 games since returning from a serious knee injury.

The Braves opened the scoring with two more runs in the first inning and secured the win behind Chris Sale’s strong command on the mound.

The American pitcher, a strong contender for a second consecutive Cy Young Award, held off stars like Dominican Juan Soto and Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor over 8.2 innings, allowing only five hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.

Soto and Lindor went hitless in their four at-bats.

After six straight wins, the Mets have now dropped five in a row, allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to close the gap to just one game behind them atop the National League East division.

The Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 4–2, powered by Venezuelan pitcher Ranger Suárez, who dominated for seven innings, striking out eight batters.

The veteran left-handed pitcher (6-1) allowed four hits and one run, securing his sixth win of the season.

In Seattle, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Mariners 3–1, highlighted by a second-inning home run from Mexican-American Marcelo Mayer.