Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: If Ronald Acuña 'Ready to Fight, I'm Ready to Fight'

After beaning Ronald Acuna Jr. with a 98 mph fastball during the third inning of the Miami Marlins' loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS on Tuesday, Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara said he wouldn't back down from a challenge on behalf of the Braves' center fielder.

"If he's ready to fight, I'm ready to fight, too," Alcantara said after the game. 

Acuna, who will turn 23 in December, became the youngest player to hit a leadoff home run in the postseason when he took a fastball from Alcantara 428 feet in the opening at-bat. He flipped his bat at home plate as he began to round the bases.

During his next at-bat in the bottom of the third inning, Acuna was drilled on the left hip and stepped out of the box before home plate umpire Andy Fletcher stopped him.

"Obviously these guys are emotional right now," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said during the game broadcast. "I know 100 percent we're not trying to hit him there ... We don't want to hit him, but sometimes it gets away from you in there." 

The Marlins seemingly have a favorite target when they play the Braves, and it isn't the strike zone. According to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Acuna has 206 plate appearances against Miami and has been hit five times for an average of one hit by pitch per every 41.2 appearances. In games against other teams, Acuna has been hit 15 times in 1,800 turns at the plate for an average of 80 appearances before a hit. 

In a game against the Marlins in 2018, Acuna had his chance to hit a leadoff homer in four straight games was squandered as he was hit by Jose Urena. The benches cleared as a result. 

Acuna was vocal on social media on Tuesday, announcing in an Instagram post that he would "apologize to absolutely NOBODY" before sending a tweet addressing his long-standing rivalry with Miami.