2023 has been a memorable year for Ronald Acuna Jr. Having a golden touch from the plate, the Venezuelan slugger has belted home runs at almost every corner of the ballpark. The Braves star won the NL MVP unanimously due to his dominating season, beating out Mookie Betts and his former teammate Freddie Freeman. As it was not enough, the 25YO slugger created another record and proved why he is the unanimous NL MVP.

For the unversed, Acuna Jr. was not physically available to receive his hard-earned MVP award. While many would have speculated about the unavailability of the Braves star, Acuna Jr. was out there making history in his country, Venezuela. Rarely do individuals get a chance to make a big statement about their achievements in the world baseball scene. Acuna Jr. did just that by creating an iconic moment in the winter league.

Ronald Acuna Jr. has an iconic national team debut

While fans were waiting anxiously for the results of the MVP awards, Acuna Jr. was making his debut. Wanting to play baseball during the offseason, he went to the Venezuelan Winter League. This was the first time he was playing for Tiburones de La Guaira this year. The moment was already big, but Acuna Jr. made it bigger.

Not only did he make his debut in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, but the reigning NL MVP also smacked a home run and recorded his name in history books. This impeccable hit came a couple of hours after he was named the unanimous NL MVP for 2023. His team ended up winning the game 11-4, but this moment will forever be etched in history. This made it the first time in MLB history that both AL and NL chose their MVPs unanimously.

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The Venezuelan people were in a celebratory mood throughout the day. It was like they knew in their hearts that Acuna Jr. was going to be the MVP. Such was the craze that this game was delayed by an hour due to the MVP result. This was done to ensure that Acuna Jr. and everybody else had enough time to celebrate his massive achievement. Well, with this homerun, he certainly included the fans in his victory party! Acuna Jr. has had quite a journey leading up to this MVP win.

Acuna Jr’s story of perseverance and belief

The then 23-year-old was playing brilliantly in 2021 before he injured his knee in a freak accident while making a catch. This resulted in his ACL getting torn. This was a moment of immense struggle for the young star as not only was the team performing well, but he also had a real chance of winning the World Series. With the Atlanta Braves actually winning the World Series that year, it was a bittersweet moment for Acuna Jr. Had he been healthy, he’d be there holding the ring, but maybe it was not meant to be.

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After two years of hard work, he came to his own in 2023. The slugger didn’t just win the MVP award; he won it by absolutely dominating the league in nearly every batting stat. He became the only player in history to steal 70+ bases and hit 40+ homers. But the Braves couldn’t win the World Series this year. Still, he’s sure to come back stronger next year with the Braves looking to give the heavy hitter a world series win.

Whatever the case, this moment has entered into the baseball vault. How many more such moments will Acuna Jr. collect? Take a guess!

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