Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. heightens tensions with home run trot that enraged Phillies' crowd

Hey, Ronald Acuña Jr., Phillies fans know you're a good player. You don’t have to rub it in our faces.

As customary for any star player that comes into Citizens Bank Park, the boo birds will come out heavily once their name is read by public address anouncer Dan Baker in the starting lineup and when they’re up to bat. It's the city’s sign of respect.

But when you show off the crowd after you hit a home run with your childish taunts to the fans, your silly flapping bird arms rounding the bases or your even more ridiculous jump step when approaching third, the “We can at least respect you a little bit” boos will be replaced by “We hate your guts” boos. That’s amplified when the same exact trot around the bases happens twice in the span of two days.

As Zack Wheeler put it, “Our guy just rounds the bases that hits 50 here.”

Acuña's latest antics came after a massive eighth-inning home run off Alex McFarlane that tied Sunday's game, rather suddenly, at 4-4. One inning later, Austin Riley's RBI triple off Jhoan Duran broke the tie, and Acuña's moment that had the Citizens Bank Park crowd seething suddenly became even more meaningful.

Phillies, Braves rivalry heats up after Ronald Acuña Jr.'s response to Zack Wheeler

The longer Acuña Jr. has been a Brave, the more the hard feelings grow. Of course, when the star outfielder hit a three-run home run in the top of the eight inning to tie the Phillies and Braves’ Sunday afternoon game at four runs apiece, that's not something that'll be received too kindly by the fans. 

Especially when you make your way to the top step of the opposing dugout to give a faux curtain call. Great, you received laughs and pats on the back from the 20 or so teammates in your dugout, but the 40,000-plus fans can see the clown that you’re presenting yourself as.

It’s not the first time Acuña Jr.'s antics have shown up in South Philly. In 2023, he received heat for his home run celebration, with then-manager Rob Thomson saying, “I like our guys to act like they've been there before.”

It was a weird look, considering the Braves were almost a year removed from losing in four games to the Phillies in the 2022 NLDS. And it aged poorly a month later, when the Phillies once again toppled the Braves in the playoffs — both times at Citizens Bank Park, giving the Phillies and their fans the last laugh.

For years, the Phillies’ biggest rival in the NL East has been the Mets. However, since the early 2020s, it feels like Atlanta has taken that title. Bryce Harper, the man who stared down Orlando Arcia for his “Atta boy, Harper” comments following the Phillies’ Game 2 loss in the 2023 NLDS, agrees.

On Sunday, the Braves got their lick back, beating the Phillies 5-4 to take a 2-1 lead in the four-game regular season set and secure the overall season series versus the Phils. Atlanta now sits five games ahead of Philadelphia for the division title. As of now, Philadelphia is one of three teams locked into a Wild Card spot. If they are unable to surpass the Braves for the NL East crown, they could easily meet them in the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.

Now, the Phillies have even more bulletin board material, and it’s all thanks to Ronald Acuña Jr. You think Wheeler will forget what he watched this weekend?

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