The Marlins hit Acuña again and Snitker gets ejected, a breakdown

Aug 21, 2019 1.6M views 2:19

What Happened

On August 21, 2019, the Marlins plunked Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. in the first inning at SunTrust Park, the latest in a string of hit-by-pitches that traced back to 2018 when Miami drilled him during his rookie tear. Acuña was visibly annoyed, telling the catcher it was the third time he'd been hit. Home plate umpire issued warnings to both benches right away, which set Braves manager Brian Snitker off because the warning came with no ejection of the pitcher and tied his own hands for the rest of the game. Snitker argued that handing out warnings in the first inning forced his pitchers to think twice about throwing inside all night, and he got tossed for it.

Why This Matters

Warnings are baseball's blunt instrument. Once an umpire issues them, the next pitcher who throws inside risks an automatic ejection, even on an accidental brushback, which is exactly what Snitker was screaming about. His frustration was less about Acuña getting hit and more about losing the right to pitch inside for eight innings off one early decision. There was real backstory here too. Acuña had just been benched by Snitker days earlier for not hustling out of the box on a ball he assumed was a homer, so the manager going to war for him sent a message that the in-house squabble was over. The 2019 Braves were rolling toward an NL East title, and Acuña went on to finish the year with 41 homers and 37 steals, just shy of the 40-40 club at age 21.

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Key Moments

Who / What Is Involved

Players: Ronald Acuña Jr., Brian Snitker. Teams: Marlins.

Key Terms Mentioned

Full Transcript

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Marlon's at the Braves at Cunha steps in

for his first at-bat flashback to last

year when they drilled him cuz he was

going off then he hits a home run off

that pitcher and celebrates it then they