ATLANTA (AP) Ronald Acuna Jr. has been removed from the Atlanta Braves’ game against the Los Angeles Dodgers after he stood at the plate admiring a long flyball that did not leave the park.
Acuna, an All-Star outfielder for the NL East leaders, was pulled before the fifth inning after failing to run out a drive off the right field wall in the third. The ball bounced off the wall for a long single. The 21-year-old Acuna likely would have had an easy double if he had hustled from home plate.
Manager Brian Snitker followed Acuna into the tunnel for an apparent conversation during the fourth inning before Adam Duvall entered the game in left field in the fifth, with Rafael Ortega moving from left to center field.
The move by Snitker came in the decisive game of a three-game series between the teams with the National League’s best records.
Acuna just missed robbing Cody Bellinger of a three-run homer in the first with a leaping try in center field.
Acuna is hitting .296 with 35 home runs and 85 RBIs, and leads the NL with 29 stolen bases and 104 runs scored.
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