When the Braves arrived to the playoffs, one thing was obvious: they’d need their biggest stars to show up if they wanted to go toe to toe with the best in baseball.
None of them did. And when that happens against the two-time defending champs, the writing is on the wall before you can wipe it off. Matt Olson hit .148 over six postseason games. Drake Baldwin hit .111. And Ronald Acuña Jr. managed just three hits — none for extra bases, with zero RBIs.
Atlanta’s star right fielder came up in big spot after big spot throughout the NLDS, especially over the final two games, and couldn’t deliver a single time. He was held hitless in front of the Truist Park faithful, and when it became clear late in Wednesday’s Game 4 loss that the Braves were headed for elimination, Acuña exited after his final at-bat — a weak grounder to shortstop with a runner in scoring position — to a chorus of boos from the very fans who once propped him up like a king who could do no wrong.
Afterward, a teary-eyed Acuña addressed the frustration pouring out of the stands.
“It’s really frustrating because they’re well within their rights to boo and to say what they think and feel,” Acuña said. “I didn’t do anything, so they’re well within their rights to do that. It’s frustrating.”
The fan reaction has been a long time coming — for the team and its franchise player alike. The Braves have fallen short in October in each of the last five seasons, winning just one playoff series, and Acuña’s postseason struggles have been a central reason why. Arguably the most talented player in a franchise history stacked with Hall of Famers, he has found the playoffs to be a house of horrors.
You have to go all the way back to October 2020 for his last postseason home run and RBI. Since 2022, he has just two extra-base hits in the playoffs. And it doesn’t help that the one time the Braves actually reached the top of the mountain, Acuña was watching from the clubhouse, nursing a torn ACL — fuel for an already-growing frustration.
“To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement,” Acuña said. “I’m particularly frustrated with myself. I feel like I did nothing to help the team this series. I’m supposed to be a spark plug for my team out there, and I never lit that fire.”
I don’t care who you are — if you’ve watched this Braves team religiously over the years, hearing a visibly shaken, somber Acuña face the fire and take accountability after another disappointing exit should hurt. The narrative that he doesn’t care couldn’t be more wrong. This is a man who loves the spotlight and wants to deliver on this stage as much as anyone in the sport. In some ways, he might want it too much — which may be exactly why October hasn’t yet matched his standards.
The frustration from the fan base is understandable. You could even call it deserved. But anyone who genuinely believes Acuña isn’t doing everything in his power to come through is wildly misinformed. He failed, and he faced the music like a man, tears in his eyes and all. Once the sting of another playoff exit finally subsides, that’s a guy every Braves fans should be rooting for moving forward.
—
Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World