Ronald Acuña Jr. Crushes Grand Slam as Braves’ Bats Ignite 15-8 Spring Win Over Red Sox

North Port, Fla. – With Opening Day exactly one month away, the Atlanta Braves offered a tantalizing glimpse of what could be a relentless offense, pounding the Boston Red Sox 15-8 on Saturday to close the first full week of Spring Training on an emphatic high.

The story of the afternoon was written in the third inning by Ronald Acuña Jr. The two-time All-Star, batting leadoff and looking every bit the catalyst fans expect, turned on a pitch and launched it over the wall for a grand slam—his first home run of the spring. The blast scored Michael Harris II, Jonah Heim and Jorge Mateo and stretched Atlanta’s advantage to 12-3, electrifying the home crowd at CoolToday Park. Acuña finished 2-for-3 and flashed his signature speed, swiping a bag in his first game action on the bases this spring.

He wasn’t the only offensive headliner. Mike Yastrzemski, auditioning for a larger role after an offseason acquisition, went a perfect 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs. The performance underscored why the front office targeted the outfielder: his ability to change a game with one swing, and to do it multiple times in the same afternoon.

On the mound, the day was more about reps than results. Chris Sale, making his second start of the spring, worked 2.2 innings and surrendered three earned runs on a pair of home runs while striking out three. The left-hander’s fastball lacked the late-life he showed last Sunday, but the Braves stressed that mid-March outings are built for adjustment, not evaluation. After Rafaela’s two-run shot, right-hander Darius Vines entered and stemmed the tide.

The bullpen provided its own fireworks. Robert Suárez, the hard-throwing former Padres closer, made his Atlanta debut and touched 100 mph three times, topping out at 100.1 on a four-seam fastball that ended the fifth. He allowed only a soft single to outfielder Braiden Ward and recorded his lone strikeout to strand the runner. Aaron Bummer followed with a scoreless frame as the relief corps protected the sizable lead.

Managerial perspective was simple: the bats are ahead of the arms right now, and that’s perfectly acceptable in mid-March. The club combined for 15 runs on 16 hits, drew six walks and swiped three bases, showcasing the depth and versatility that carried them to the NL’s best record a year ago.

Atlanta will look to keep the momentum rolling Sunday when right-hander Spencer Strider gets the start against the Baltimore Orioles. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.