The Atlanta Braves ended their season with a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. Late in the game, fans at Truist Park booed outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.
The decisive game was played at Atlanta’s home park on Wednesday. The Dodgers won the best-of-five series 3-1 and advanced to the National League Championship Series. After the previous game, Acuña said he was struggling with the fact that he had not helped his team, according to MLB.com.
Acuña went 3-for-24 in the postseason, with no extra-base hits. He played only as a designated hitter in Game 3 because of a knee issue. The 29-year-old appeared in 107 regular-season games, hitting 20 home runs and stealing 21 bases. His batting average was 25.5%.
Atlanta’s October struggles followed a longer slump by its offense. The Braves averaged 5.27 runs per game through May, but that fell to 4.08 after June 1, below the league average of 4.48. In the series against Los Angeles, Atlanta hitters went 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position.
CBS Sports noted that Acuña was not the only Braves player who struggled in the postseason. Matt Olson, Drake Baldwin and Austin Riley also had poor October numbers. The team holds contract options on Acuña for 2027 and 2028, and the outlet’s analysis called exercising them an obvious decision.