Acuna knocked down after 2 fans run onto field seeking selfies

Several fans ran onto the field and made contact with Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. during Monday’s game between the Braves and Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Just before the start of the bottom of the seventh inning, one fan ran up to Acuna and appeared to try and give him a hug. As security tried to grab that fan, another spectator invaded the field and made contact with Acuna, knocking him to the ground.

DOUBLE ACUNA HUG @StoolBaseball pic.twitter.com/LRpDYO35fZ

— Billy Grossman (@44billyg) August 29, 2023

Several members of the Braves, including catcher Sean Murphy, ran to right field to assist Acuna and Coors Field security staff in breaking up the sudden melee. The fans were eventually taken off the field by security.

Acuna appeared no worse for wear and remained in the game, tallying another two hits after the incident in an eventual 14-4 Braves win.

The 25-year-old said postgame he felt fine and that the fans were trying to get a photo with him. Still, the moment left many in both dugouts rattled.

Ronald Acuña Jr.: “I was a little scared at first, but I think the fans were out there and asking for a picture. But security was able to get there, and so I think everything’s OK. Everyone’s OK.”

He said the second, more aggressive fan was also just asking for a photo. pic.twitter.com/lHeOcVKSSX

— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) August 29, 2023

“You don’t want to see that happen, I know that,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters, per Bally Sports South. “You don’t know what those people … can do when they get out there. It’s a scary situation.”

“That’s disappointing, for me, that it happens, especially in our ballpark, in our town,” added Rockies manager Bud Black, according to Patrick Lyons of DNVR.com. “That bothers me. It bothers me in general when I see it elsewhere, in all sports.”

A few minutes before the fans rushed him, Acuna picked up his 60th stolen base of the season, becoming the first MLB player to reach that mark since 2017. He finished the game with four hits, five RBIs, four runs scored, and two steals.

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