The Australian Baseball League has renamed itself the Acu?a Baseball League
Ronald Acuña Jr. took baseball by storm over the past week, hitting eight dingers in eight games -- including a leadoff home run in each of Atlanta's first three games against the Marlins. But while you probably know Acuña's deal by this point, what you might not know is that before he became Ronald Acuña, Destroyer of Worlds, he was Ronald Acuña, Destroyer of the Australian Baseball League.
Yes, really: In the winter of 2016, after already announcing himself as one of the brightest young prospects in the game, Acuña took his talents Down Under and spent 20 games with the Melbourne Aces. As you might imagine, he dominated, hitting .375/.446/.556 and doing stuff like this in the outfield:
.@Braves prospect Ronald Acuna shows off his strong arm, but the @SydneyBlueSox take the lead on a sac fly. Lead, 4-1, BOT 7. pic.twitter.com/ss1OR6rbRW
— Australian Baseball League (@ABL) December 16, 2016
It's not every day that the ABL -- or any league, really -- gets to see a talent like Acuña's, and they still haven't forgotten. So much so that, when Acuña was forced to leave Wednesday's win over Miami after getting hit by a pitch in the first inning, the ABL changed its name to the Acuña Baseball League in solidarity:
Ok ya'll, for those who aren't aware, @ronaldacunajr24 played for the @MelbourneAces in the ABL and KILLED IT (.375/.446/.556). We ? him.#WeStandWithAcu?a pic.twitter.com/i8o4UOx70L
— Australian Baseball League (@ABL) August 16, 2018
Acuña will hopefully be OK, but if not, this is a pretty nice "get well soon" card.