In Denver, two fans approached a popular Atlanta baseball player, Ronald Acuna Jr., during a game, resulting in him falling to the ground.
In the middle of the game against the Colorado team, one fan tried to take a photo with Acuna by wrapping his arm around him. Just as the security team rushed to help, another fan also ran towards Acuna, seemingly causing him to fall.
A couple fans ran onto the field and made contact with Ronald Acuña Jr. pic.twitter.com/IaAcAZs2gx
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 29, 2023
After the situation, Acuna sat on the field grass before standing up by himself. The Atlanta team had just taken a lead in the game when this happened.
“I was a little scared at first,” Acuna said through an interpreter. “I think the fans were out there and asking for pictures. I really couldn’t say anything because at that point, security was already there and we were already kind of tangled up, but security was able to get there and everything’s OK. We’re all OK, and I hope they’re OK.”
The manager of the Atlanta team, Brian Snitker, expressed his disappointment about the fan behavior, emphasizing the potential dangers of such incidents. The Colorado team’s manager, Bud Black, also showed his concern, especially since it happened in his home stadium.
Interestingly, when Snitker was asked about the event after the game, he mentioned he missed it as he was elsewhere at that moment. However, he did acknowledge witnessing similar events in the past.
Another player from the Atlanta team, Kevin Pillar, who was close by during the incident, felt the fans had no harmful intentions. He highlighted the importance of player safety and said, “Thankfully, they weren’t there to do any harm.”
Acuna, who’s having an impressive season, showed his skills during that game. He managed to score big for his team, contributing to their victory. “Special player. He is a gifted young man, baseball player,” Snitker said. “Anything he is going to do in this game is not going to surprise me. I just think he is that talented.”