BRAVES' ACUÑA JR. BECOMES FOUNDING MEMBER OF 40-70 CLUB

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ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr. wasn't going to let Wednesday's game end without making even more MLB history.

His steal of second base in the 10th inning of a hard-fought matchup between the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs was Acuña's second of the night and 70th this season, making him the first player in MLB history to hit at least 40 home runs and steal 70 bases.

It came just moments before teammate Ozzie Albies drove him home for the winning run, setting off pandemonium at Truist Park as the Braves secured the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs.

"Very happy, mostly that we were able to win," Acuña said through an interpreter after the 6-5 victory. "I'm extremely happy to have created the 40-70 club."

Acuña has 41 homers, extending a historic season that already saw him become the first 40-50 and 40-60 player. He is the second Braves player with 70 steals in a season since 1900, joining Otis Nixon in 1991 (72).

"It was one of those numbers that wasn't impossible but seemed impossible," Acuña said.

MLB ROUNUP: RONALD ACUNA JR JOINS 40/40 CLUB IN BRAVES' WIN

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Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley homered in the first inning, and the Atlanta Braves defeated the host Washington Nationals 9-6 to move closer to the 100-win mark Friday night.

Marcell Ozuna smashed a three-run homer in the seventh, and Riley drove in runs on three separate plate appearances to finish with four runs batted in for the National League East champion Braves (99-55).

Acuna led off the game with his 40th home run of the season. He became just the fifth player to join the 40-40 club with his 68 steals. He's the only player in MLB history to have 40 or more home runs and 60 or more steals in the same year. Two batters after Acuna, Riley's 37th homer gave Atlanta a 3-0 lead before an out was recorded.

Braves starter Charlie Morton was done after one scoreless inning; the right-hander walked two. He departed because of discomfort in his right index finger, according to information from the team. Michael Tonkin (7-2) was the winning pitcher with two innings of relief.

After the game, the Nationals announced that Saturday's game was postponed due to severe weather in the forecast and would be played as part of a split-admission doubleheader on Sunday.

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