MIAMI — Ronald Acuna Jr. was restrained after being plunked during the Atlanta Braves‘ 5-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
Miami reliever Anthony Bender hit Acuna with a slider in the seventh. A frustrated Acuna stared and walked toward Bender before he was held back by Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro and home plate umpire Jordan Baker. Acuna headed to first base, slamming his protective elbow gear to the ground.
“Not a big deal,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “He hit him with a breaking ball. Everybody handled themselves fine.”
Marlins pitchers have hit Acuna seven times since the three-time All-Star’s rookie season in 2018, including with the first pitch of Atlanta’s first at-bat of their game July 2. That hit-by-pitch resulted in the ejection of Miami starter Pablo Lopez.
“I’ve really grown tired of the drama, honestly,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “I’m sure anybody that’s ever played the game, talked about it saw that wasn’t intentional. I’m tired about it, tired of talking about it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
