Alex McFarlane threw six-straight fastballs and I hate Ronald Acuna Jr and Braves fans
The Phillies had a seven-inning gem from Aaron Nola, two late insurance homers, and a 4-1 lead heading into the eighth and then Ronald Acuna Jr. did what Ronald Acuna Jr. does when a crowd gets under his skin by ripping the whole thing apart with one swing. The Braves took it 5-4 and there’s a lot to be mad about here. So let’s get into it.
I hate Ronald Acuna Jr and Braves fans
The louder Citizens Bank Park has booed Ronald Acuna Jr this weekend, the more comfortable and dangerous he’s gotten. Every single at-bat has become an event. One night after that 450-foot bomb, the dugout stare, and the slow trot, he stepped in as the tying run in the eighth Sunday with the boos raining down, and while the Phillies gathered for a mound visit, he actually raised his arms to the crowd, begging them to let him hear it.
This guy is a fucking nightmare bro
Ronald Acuna Jr crushed a game-tying three-run homer off a 100.5 mph McFarlane fastball, erasing a lead the Phillies had spent all afternoon building. After another signature trip around the bases, he came back out of the Braves dugout for a ROAD curtain call.
This dude is a nightmare lol
A curtain call in an opposing ballpark is almost unheard of, but it fit perfectly with how this whole weekend went. Ronald Acuna Jr is now 7-for-12 with two homers in the first three games of this series. The absolute last thing the Phillies needed with October looming was to wake up Atlanta’s biggest star, and that’s exactly what happened.
The Braves and Acuna are Paper Tigers and their fans are losers
Now, I’ve got to address this, because I stirred the pot myself. I went on Twitter and said the Phillies should 100% make Acuna wear one on Sunday, and Braves fans got a hold of it and swarmed me.
Hilarious, honestly. I’m not going to pretend I know how Twitter works these days, sometimes I’m tweeting into the void and other times the wolves come out.
Let me be crystal clear: I don’t care. These dumb Braves fans have no clue what they’re talking about anyway. This is a Paper Tiger baseball team that can celebrate all they want because we all know what’s coming in October and we all know they are praying the seeding doesn’t fall where they have to come to Citizens Bank Park.
Look at these replies. Pathetic Braves Fans Everywhere. CRY MORE.
This is an unwritten rule of baseball, you babies. Another player disrespects you like that, staring down your dugout, bat-flipping, curtain calls on the road, and you make him wear one.
Like, sorry, I know how things used to work? That’s how we USED to do it. The Phillies never do it, and they should. Instead of buzzing him and sending a message, they threw him seven straight hittable fastballs and let him beat them.
Which brings me to my next gripe.
The McFarlane Sequence Has to Be Dissected
Here’s the pitching decision that’s going to haunt this one.
McFarlane attacked Acuna with SEVEN consecutive fastballs. Ronald Acuna Jr fouled off four with two strikes before finally getting a heater that caught too much of the zone and depositing it.
Now, McFarlane has been outstanding, entering with just one earned run over his first 12 big-league appearances, so I’m not killing the kid but seven straight fastballs to a locked-in Ronald Acuna Jr, with no attempt to change his eye level or bust him inside?
That’s a sequence you’d like to have back. Credit to McFarlane for how he handled it after: “Come to the field the next day, flush it and believe in yourself. Don’t let that moment define you.” That’s the right mentality for a young arm, and I love the maturity.
Acuna Wasted a Gorgeous Nola Start
The real crime here is that Ronald Acuna Jr’s swing torched one of Aaron Nola’s best starts of the season. Nola held the Braves to one run on four hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out five, his seventh straight start of at least five innings with three or fewer runs. He’s now got a 3.26 ERA across 12 starts since July, and he’s pitching like a guy you can absolutely trust in October.
He did his job and then some. The team just couldn’t hold it for him.
The Offense Did Just Enough, Which Wasn’t Enough
The Phillies backed Nola with two first-inning runs off Tyler Mahle, who, fun fact, was one of the starters linked to Philadelphia before Atlanta grabbed him at the deadline. Schwarber walked, moved to third on an error, and scored on an Arraez sac fly, then Bohm lined an RBI double to plate Turner.
That was all they’d get off Mahle, who came in with a 1.48 ERA since joining the Braves.
The insurance came late and looked like it’d be enough. Derek Hill launched a solo shot in the seventh, and the man just keeps coming through, posting a .999 OPS in the seventh inning or later since joining the Phillies in June.
What a pickup. Then Schwarber added his major-league-leading 42nd homer to make it 4-1. Those runs should have put it away. They didn’t.
Duran Couldn’t Slam the Door Either
Even after Acuna tied it, the Braves weren’t done. Ozzie Albies doubled off Jhoan Duran in the ninth, and Austin Riley tripled him home for the winning run. Duran hadn’t allowed two extra-base hits in an outing since August 2024, also against the Braves, back when he was with the Twins. Of course it was Atlanta. This whole weekend had their number written on it late.
Where It Leaves Us
The loss dropped the Phillies five games back of Atlanta and officially killed any chance of winning the head-to-head season tiebreaker, with the Braves now holding seven wins and only four games left between the clubs.
That stings, because the division just got a lot harder to chase. Either way, I don’t even want the division. Gimmie the Wild Card and a prayer that the Phillies enter October hot.
That’s all it really takes it baseball anyways.
The Phillies had everything they needed Sunday. Seven strong from Nola, two late insurance bombs, a 4-1 lead and Acuna took it all away with one swing and a whole lot of theatrics. So yeah, fuck ’em.
That’s the only appropriate reaction right now. They earned the series, they woke up their star, and they danced all over our field doing it.
There are four more meetings coming. Four more chances to make them pay, to shut Acuna up, and to do the things this team should’ve done this weekend. The wound is fresh and it’s ugly, but the season’s not over, and neither is this fight.
Come back angry and next time Acuna wants to put on a show in our building? Handle it the way it should’ve been handled. Fuck ’em. On to the next one.
Join The Chase
Read More
WATCH: Phillie Phanatic refuses to take a picture with a Braves fan at Citizens Bank Park
While Ronald Acuna Jr. was busy ripping the hearts out…
No moral victories but the Aaron Nola Trust Tree has never been stronger
Well, yesterday was an absolutely maddening afternoon at Citizens Bank…
Phillies bounce back with Wheeler on the mound, beat Braves 4-2
After that lifeless opener, Saturday didn’t start with much promise…
Comments (0)