ESPN News Services Aug 28, 2023 11:52 pm ET3 Minute Read
Ronald Acuna Jr. was thrown to the ground by fans running onto the field
Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. remains unharmed after fans in Colorado ran onto the field and knocked him over.
DENVER — Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was confronted by two fans in right field during Monday’s game at Coors Field, an encounter that knocked the star player to the ground.
In the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies, a person ran onto the field to take a selfie with Acuna and wrapped his arm around the player before security personnel rushed in.
While security forces were working to pry the person away from Acuna, another person ran onto the field and charged Acuna, appearing to make contact with him and throw him to the ground.
Acuna sat on the grass while security tended to the people. He got up on his own. Atlanta had just scored four runs and was leading 9-4 before the incident occurred.
Acuna appeared unharmed by the incident, smiling and giving a thumbs-up afterwards.
“You don’t want to see that, I know that,” said Atlanta coach Brian Snitker. “You don’t know what they’re going to do once they’re out there. It’s a scary situation.”
Colorado manager Bud Black agreed. “For me it’s disappointing that something like this is happening, especially in our stadium, in our city,” he said. “That bothers me. It bothers me in general when I see that somewhere else, in all sports.”
When questioned further about the incident in his post-game press conference, Snitker said he didn’t see it live because he was in the restroom. When asked if he’d seen anything like this before, he added, “Yes, quite a lot.”
Acuna is one of the favorites for National League MVP honors this season. He started Monday with a .330 batting, 28 homers and 74 RBIs and put on an outstanding game in the win.
From Atlanta’s top spot, he hit his 29th home run of the season, ending his club’s 14-4 win 4-5, five RBIs and a walk.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.