WATCH: Ronald Acuna Jr. flexes cannon arm with stunning full-field throw

With the Atlanta Braves struggling for consistency this season, superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. has had to pull the team through tough situations.

Acuna returned to action after missing a year due to an ACL injury, and he has shown the form that won him the 2023 NL MVP award.

While the former MVP has been hot at the plate, it was his cannon arm that was on display in the series opener against the New York Yankees at Truist Park on Friday night.

During the third inning, Acuna tracked a fly ball from Cody Bellinger in right field to make a routine grab. He was also alert to Jorbit Vivas trying to reach third.

The Braves star pumped a throw all the way to third base to catch out Vivas. The double play from the All-Star outfielder ended the Yankees' inning to preserve the Braves' 3-0 lead.

Ronald Acuna Jr.'s wife reacts to viral play from Braves MVP

Ronald Acuna Jr.'s viral play caught the attention of baseball fans along with his wife, Maria Laborde. The Braves superstar's wife reacted to the play in her Instagram story.

"How amazing you are ❤️❤️❤️," Laborde captioned the story featuring Acuna's play from the game.

Apart from his stellar play in the outfield, Acuna's bat was crucial in the Braves' 7-3 win against the Yankees in the first game after the Midsummer Classic at Truist Park.

The 2023 NL MVP opened the scoring for the home team in the first inning with an RBI double. He also scored a run on Ozzie Albies' sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 in the first inning.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash