Ronald Acuna Jr.'s wife expresses happiness after the Braves superstar gives 'early birthday gift' vs the Mets

Ronald Acuna Jr. had a special night at the plate before going home to celebrate the upcoming birthday of his wife, Maria Laborde. The Braves' leadoff hitter made the most of the night by wreaking havoc at the plate in Monday's game against the New York Mets.

In the 3-2 Braves win, Acuna Jr. went 2-for-5 with two hits, including a home run and a stolen base. Acuna Jr.'s timely offense proved to be the difference in the game as the Braves improved to 36-41.

A Braves fan page on Instagram posted a highlight of the game, and Maria reposted it on her Instagram story.

"Early birthday gift ❤️😍," she wrote.

During Monday's game, the Braves added the first run to their tally on Michael Harris Jr.'s sac-fly off Mets' Paul Blackburn in the second inning. The third inning saw Acuna Jr. take Blackburn deep for a solo home run.

Juan Soto cut the deficit to one run by hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning off Braves ace Spencer Schwellenbach to make it 3-2. Braves closer Dylan Lee sealed the game in the ninth inning and earned the save.

Maria Laborde shares support for Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2025 MLB All-Star Game

Maria Loborde asked fans to vote for Ronald Acuna Jr. for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game. She reposted a photo of All-Star voting from the Braves' social media account, highlighting the outfielder's voting numbers as compared to other stars in the National League.

Despite returning from injury late in the season (May 23), Acuna has posted a stunning .396/.504/.698 slash line with nine home runs and 30 runs scored over just 28 games.

Those numbers have resulted in a major surge in fan voting. Ronald Acuna Jr. currently sits fourth among National League outfielders with 1,140,061 votes, just behind Pete Crow‑Armstrong (2,005,630), Teoscar Hernández (1,366,537) and Kyle Tucker (1,219,866).

If he's able to secure a starting spot, it will mark his fifth All-Star appearance, tying franchise legends Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

Know More

Edited by Ruth John S