Acu?a's 121.2 mph (!!) HR the hardest-hit ball this year

LOS ANGELES -- Ronald Acuña Jr. hit one of the hardest homers ever recorded and Orlando Arcia hit one that might have ensured the Braves will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Acu?a produced the season’s highest exit velocity with a third-inning solo shot and Arcia drilled a three-run home run that gave the Braves a 4-2, 10-inning win over the Dodgers on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m super happy for the success he’s had this season and I feel like he’s made for big moments,” Acu?a said.

Acu?a was talking about Arcia, but he could have easily been talking about himself. He has homered in each of the three wins the Braves have thus far tallied in this four-game set. But Acu?a was every bit as happy to talk about Arcia’s latest clutch contribution, which backed a strong six-inning effort by Bryce Elder.

Arcia drilled his game winner against Alex Vesia with two outs in the 10th. His 17th homer of the season gave the Braves a chance to sweep this four-game series with a win on Sunday. They now lead the Dodgers by seven games in the battle for the National League’s best record.

“You never come in here thinking you’re going to win three, four or whatever,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “You just take it one game at a time. This team is so relentless.”

Acu?a got things rolling with a solo homer that sailed over the center-field wall during the third inning. The massive blast had a 121.2 mph exit velocity, making it the third-hardest-hit homer and sixth-hardest-hit ball since Statcast began tracking this data in 2015.

“Oh my God, I was wondering if that was the hardest one ever hit,” Snitker said.

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As soon as Acu?a pulverized Emmet Sheehan’s fastball, he took a couple steps out of the box, dropped his bat and began flapping his arms, which is the Braves’ “give the ball wings” ritual. This 454-foot homer didn’t need any assistance as it flew to the batters’ eye beyond the center-field wall.

“I never imagined that was going to be the exit velocity on it, but yeah, I hit it hard,” Acu?a said.

Acu?a’s grand slam in Thursday’s series opener made him the first player to ever hit 30-plus homers and steal 60-plus bases in the same season. He has increased his home run total to 32 and now has a realistic chance to record what would be just the fifth 40-40 season in AL/NL history.

Acu?a joins the Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge as the only players who have ever generated a 121-plus mph exit velocity on a home run. Stanton has surpassed this speed twice (121.7 mph vs. the Rangers, Aug. 9, 2018, and 121.3 mph vs. the Nationals, July 25, 2020). Judge homered with a 121.1 mph exit velo on June 10, 2017, against the Orioles.

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Stanton accounts for four of the five exit velos higher than what is now Acu?a’s best. The Pirates’ Oneil Cruz produced the highest exit velo with a 122.4 mph single against the Braves on Aug. 24, 2022.

Before Saturday, Acu?a’s hardest-hit homer was a 117.4 mph shot against the Reds on June 27, 2021. His hardest-hit ball was 117.9 mph single tallied against the Pirates on July 5, 2021.

“When I got back to the dugout, some of my teammates were asking me if that was all I got,” Acu?a said.

Along with being a battle between the teams with MLB’s top two records, this series was billed as one that would feature the NL’s top two MVP candidates. Mookie Betts enjoyed a two-homer performance on Thursday, but his contributions weren’t enough at as the Braves benefited from Acu?a’s grand slam that night.

Acu?a has gone 6-for-13 with a double, three homers, two walks (one intentional) and two stolen bases through the series’ first three games. Betts has gone 2-for-11 with two walks and four strikeouts.

“I'm really happy and it's been a great season,” Acu?a said. “Fortunately, we were able to win tonight and now we can just keep moving forward.”