'Special' Ronald Acuna Jr. Praised by Braves Manager After 301-Foot Assist vs. Yankees

It's hard to find anything Ronald Acuña Jr. hasn't done on a baseball field, but the Atlanta Braves superstar was able to show off his incredible arm strength with a frozen-rope throw from right field that traveled 301 feet to get Jorbit Vivas out at third base in Friday's 7-3 win over the New York Yankees.

Braves manager Brian Snitker spoke glowingly about Acuña's "special" talent after the game.

"His accuracy is stupid," Snitker told reporters. "He's a weapon in right field. His arm is so strong and accurate, and the ball carries, release is good. He's special out there."

The play occurred in the top of the third when Cody Bellinger hit a high fly ball just shy of the warning track in the right-field corner. Acuña caught it turned and uncorked a laser to third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr., who tagged out Vivas.

Vivas deserves a lot of credit for making the play happen by choosing not to slide into the bag, but it's also hard to fault him because the odds of someone on the opposite end of the stadium even trying that throw are incredibly low.

Per Yahoo Sports, Acuña's throw was the first throw of at least 300 feet with no bounces since 2020 when Mookie Betts did it for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ESPN noted it was the longest throw to complete a double play since Adam Eaton had a 302-foot throw for the Chicago White Sox on July 4, 2021.

In an otherwise disappointing season for the Braves, Acuña has been phenomenal since returning from a torn ACL in May. The 2023 NL MVP is hitting .329/.442/.610 with 12 homers in 197 plate appearances.

The Braves (43-53) have won four of their last six games, but they are still 9.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the National League. Even though a postseason berth seems like a long shot, at least fans in Atlanta know they have the chance to see something remarkable when they watch Acuña either in the batter's box or outfield.