A nightmare scenario thankfully didn’t unfold at Coors Field on Monday night when Atlanta Braves outfielder (and leading National League MVP candidate) Ronald Acuña Jr. was rushed by spectators during a game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
While Acuna was knocked to the ground during the insane moments in between innings, he was thankfully not hurt. Watch the video below.
Unreal scene here at Coors Field.
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) August 29, 2023
It was a blur, but it appears that three fans ran onto the field to attack Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. between innings.
You can see Acuña Jr. get off the ground after the second attacker comes into frame. pic.twitter.com/FEnWVxnTR3
Ronald Acuña Jr. incident on Monday night reminder for Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, and all of MLB
Again, the good news is that Acuna was not hurt in the stunning sequence of events. However, the moments raise attention to just how quick something could have happened that certainly would have altered the season for both the Braves and MLB as a whole.
We all remember the devastating impact on the Braves when Acuna tore his ACL during the 2021 season. While the Braves did go on to win the World Series that season, they did it with a rebuilt outfield, partially spurred on by the Acuna injury.
With the Braves churning along this season and sitting atop our most recent MLB power rankings, any kind of injury to Acuna would likely alter the path to the postseason for Atlanta. Had an injury occurred on Tuesday night, it would have been past the MLB trade deadline, not giving the Braves a chance to restock the roster.
Sure, all of that is a worst-case scenario (and, again, thankfully nothing of that sort happened in Denver). However, the moments call attention to just how quick something could happen in a game when fans interfere and reach the field.
Kudos to the Coors Field security team for what they did once the fans reached Acuna … but they certainly should have never gotten that close. Rest assured that Rockies security will be tighter for the rest of the series and moving forward for the remainder of the season as well.
What could have been thankfully didn’t happen on Monday night. However, it’s a wakeup call to all of Major League Baseball to ensure players are kept safe at all times.