Don’t run on Ronnie: Insane angle of Acuña putout is Clemente-esque

Ronald Acuña put out an Orioles runner on the base paths on Sunday afternoon and it was oh-so-pretty.

Ronald Acuña: You simply can’t run against him. You are welcome to risk it against virtually any other outfielder, especially on a throw from right field to third base, but Acuña is built differently.

The stats prove it, as the Atlanta Braves outfielder ranks second in Statcast’s arm strength leaderboard with an overall speed of 95.8 miles per hour on his throws, second to only one player: Bryan Anderson of the Milwaukee Bucks.

So when Austin Hays risked it, you knew he was in for a bad time.

Ronald Acuña puts on a Roberto Clemente-like throw from right field for a putout at third

What a play here from Acuna. He grabs the pop fly to deep right, swiftly puts it in his throwing hand, and tosses it on one bounce to Austin Riley to put Hays out at third.

A bummer for Hays and the Orioles on a gutsy decision to run, but a frankly predictable put-out for Acuña, as impressive as it was.

The Braves wound up winning 3-2 in extra innings (12). This play was a big one, launching the win probability from 50% to 60.6% for the Braves. The win probability would later fall down in the Orioles favor before Atlanta would ultimately prevail in the afternoon matinee.

Acuña may have had a down day at the plate, going 0-for-5, but he sowed us once again that even in those instances, he’s good for a game-changing play or two in the field.