Fastball

New York Mets Rookie Luisangel Acuña Continues to Put Up Historic Numbers

Luisangel Acuña blasted his third career home run in the New York Mets' win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, making more history in the process.
Sam Connon|
Sep 21, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Luisangel Acuna (2) runs to first base during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field.
Sep 21, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Luisangel Acuna (2) runs to first base during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field. | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

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New York Mets

When star shortstop Francisco Lindor went down last week, it seemed like the injury would deal a tough blow to the New York Mets' playoff odds.

Instead, they have heated up even more, taking advantage of some unlikely production from Lindor's replacement.

Luisangel Acuña made his MLB debut on Sept. 14, which was the first game Lindor missed all season. He went 2-for-4 in that contest and has hardly slowed down since.

The Mets trailed the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning on Saturday, until catcher Francisco Alvarez tied things up with a solo home run. Two at-bats later, Acuña gave New York the lead with a solo shot of his own, crushing the ball 388 feet to left.

Acuña added a ground-rule double in the sixth and a walk in the eighth, all while the Mets went on to win 6-3. The 22-year-old Venezuelan infielder is now batting .385 with three home runs, two doubles, a triple, six RBI, a 1.292 OPS and a 0.6 WAR through one week in the big leagues.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Acuña's six extra-base hits are tied for the most by a Mets player through their first seven career games with at least one plate appearance. Kazuo Matsui also had six to this point in his 2004 rookie campaign.

Acuña's three home runs also rank second in franchise history under those same qualifications, trailing only Mike Jacobs and the five he hit upon his arrival in 2005.

Acuña is ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Mets' farm system. He was acquired in the deal that sent Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline.

The 5-foot-8, 181-pound slugger is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., who has been out with a torn ACL since May. A year after Ronald Acuña Jr. won NL MVP, Luisangel Acuña could be the one to box his brother's Braves out of the postseason.

New York owns a 2.0-game lead over Atlanta in the race for the final NL Wild Card spot with seven games left on the slate. The upcoming three-game series between the two division rivals will surely play a major role in deciding who makes it to the playoffs, but Acuña and the Mets have a chance to extend their lead Sunday as well.

The Mets and Phillies play for the final time this regular season at 7:15 p.m. ET on Sunday. New York is 17-5 since Aug. 29, while Philadelphia is 14-8 and Atlanta is 11-11.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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