Braves All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. breaks season exit velocity record with 454 rocket to center field

Atlanta Braves All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. continues to dazzle the baseball world with his extraordinary talent.

On Thursday, the Dominican became the first player in MLB history to reach 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a single season. He achieved the milestone in fashion with an incredible 429-foot grand slam.

On Saturday, Acuña reached another impressive feat, recording the hardest hit of the year so far. The 121.2 mph blast off rookie 23-year-old Emmit Sheehan traveled 454 feet to give the Braves a 1-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Per a recent piece in ClutchPoints, Acuña felt that he had caught the pitch well, but had no idea it was a record-setting shot:

"I never imagined that was going to be the exit velocity on it," Acuña said through a translator after the 4-2, extra-inning win at Dodger Stadium.

"121.2 MPH off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. and that's just ridiculous! It's THE hardest hit ball in the major leagues this year!" Codify tweeted.

The 121.2 mph exit velocity blast makes this the third hardest-hit home run since the beginning of the Statcast era in 2015. Only the New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton has hit a harder home run over that period.

The accomplishment adds to what has already been a spectacular season for Ronald Acuña Jr. The right-handed hitter currently leads the National League in hits (184), runs (123), stolen bases (63) and OBP (.419). He ranks second in OPS (1.001) and third in batting average (.337).

The race for NL MVP is going to the wire between Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mookie Betts

Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. can't catch a ball hit for a three-run home run by Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts.

Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mookie Betts have gone head to head all season for the NL MVP award. It seemed like a one-way battle until Betts' exceptional August.

This year, Acuña Jr. is slashing .337/.419/.582 with 32 home runs and 85 RBIs.

Mookie Betts is keeping pace with a .313 batting average, a 1.021 OPS, 38 home runs and 98 RBIs.

The Braves and Dodgers are clear favorites for the NL pennant. At this stage, the interesting side story is whether Ronaldo Acuña Jr. or Mookie Betts wins the MVP award.