On Thursday night, the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers started a thrilling four-game set in LA.
The game was an instant classic and had a little bit of everything: lead changes, milestone home runs, and four legitimate NL MVP candidates, two on each team: Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson on the Braves and Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman on the Dodgers.
They didn’t disappoint.
The Dodgers started off the game on the right foot with a run in the bottom of the first.
History would take place in the second, though.
With a grand slam, Acuna became the first player in the history of the game to complete a season with 30 or more home runs and 60 or more stolen bases.
And he did it in five months!
Anything he does from this point on will be a first: 35-65, 40-70, you name it.
The kid is really special.
Atlanta would score six in that second inning to hold a 6-1 lead, but the Dodgers would creep closer and closer thanks in large part to Mookie Betts’ enormous talent.
Betts hit two homers to reach 38 for the season, a career-high.
There were fireworks in the LA night on Thursday, with seven dingers in total.
The Dodgers made it a one-run game in the eighth frame, but closer Raisel Iglesias struck out Kiké Hernández and put an end to the thriller.
We get to do this three more times this weekend pic.twitter.com/EyHnS06OxS
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 1, 2023
As Talkin’ Baseball notes, there will be three more of these games from Friday to Sunday.
Baseball fans are in for a treat, as the two best teams in MLB collide for their entertainment.
