Ronald Acuña Jr. is already the Atlanta Braves’ best player at age 20, and in Sunday he made postseason history with his grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS.
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s postseason home run at age 20 put him in great company. Check out this list
Braves OF is the youngest ever with a postseason grand slam
Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
At 20 years, 293 days old Acuña is the youngest player to hit a grand slam in postseason history, surpassing Mickey Mantle, who was 21 years, 350 days old in Game 5 of the 1953 World Series.
Ah, youth.
Acuña joined a very small list of players who hit a home run at 20 or younger in a postseason game.
Postseason home runs before turning 21
Player | Team | Year | Series/Game | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andruw Jones | Braves | 1996 | NLCS Game 7 | 19.177 |
| Andruw Jones | Braves | 1996 | World Series Game 1 | 19.180 |
| Bryce Harper | Nationals | 2012 | NLDS Game 5 | 19.362 |
| Manny Machado | Orioles | 2012 | ALDS Game 3 | 20.096 |
| Miguel Cabrera | Marlins | 2003 | NLCS Game 1 | 20.172 |
| Miguel Cabrera | Marlins | 2003 | NLCS Game 2 | 20.173 |
| Miguel Cabrera | Marlins | 2003 | NLCS Game 7 | 20.180 |
| Miguel Cabrera | Marlins | 2003 | World Series Game 4 | 20.187 |
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | Braves | 2018 | NLDS Game 3 | 20.293 |
| Rafael Devers | Red Sox | 2017 | ALDS Game 3 | 20.349 |
| Rafael Devers | Red Sox | 2017 | ALDS Game 4 | 20.350 |
| Mickey Mantle | Yankees | 1952 | World Series Game 6 | 20.352 |
| Mickey Mantle | Yankees | 1952 | World Series Game 7 | 20.353 |
That’s just seven players, and 14 total home runs. Andruw Jones was the youngest, at just 19 years, 177 days old when he homered in Game 7 of the 1996 NLCS, then slammed two more homers three days later in Game 1 of the World Series. The only other player to hit a playoff homer at age 19 is Bryce Harper, who hit one four days shy of his 20th birthday in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS.
That five of these seven players — including Harper, Manny Machado, Rafael Devers and Miguel Cabrera — are still active is a testament to the extraordinary talent we get to watch on a daily basis. It’s exciting to think of what Acuña has in store for the future, and his present is pretty great, too.
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