Atlanta Braves honor Gold Star families as Acuña faces season-ending surgery
Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves walks off the field in the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on May 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - Ronald Acuna Jr. will not forget his Sunday in Pittsburgh anytime soon and neither will Atlanta Braves fans after the star player tore his ACL.
"I was scared," said Paula Mcalum. "I didn't really know exactly what it was, but I knew he already hurt a leg and so I was just worried."
"An injury-prone year it seems," said Tony Rhodes.
Fans react to Acuna’s season-ending injury
Acuna tore his left ACL during Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It happened as he looked to steal a base when his knee buckled. Acuna dealt with the same injury to his right knee in 2021. The Braves said he will undergo surgery soon.
"It's a bummer for him, for the team, for the fans that were not getting a chance to see him at his 100% best like we saw last year," said Ashley Hill.
"Saw on the news this morning about him being out and we're really bummed about it, but we wish him a quick recovery," said Kimberlee Adsit.
Gold Star families honored by Braves
Fallen soldier honored by Braves on Memorial Day
Despite the loss of one of the Braves’ star players Sunday, Monday's Memorial Day game at Truist Park is still a special one. Kimberlee Adsit and her family are here to honor Corporal Stephen Coty Sockalosky from Georgia who died in 2010 during the war in Afghanistan.
Despite the loss of one of the Braves’ star players on Sunday, Monday's Memorial Day game at Truist Park was still a special one. Adsit and her family were there to honor Corporal Stephen "Coty" Sockalosky from Georgia who died in 2010 during the war in Afghanistan.
"We're doing the flag on the field, we're really excited to be a part of that," Adsit said.
Corporal Sockalosky was a huge Braves fan. He brought the team with him overseas and made sure they were represented on his Humvee. The Braves’ logo is even on his headstone.
"To be here on Memorial Day this is holy ground," Adsit said. "You can't tell him nothing in heaven right now."
Monday’s Memorial Day game was a big deal for many Gold Star families who were being honored there. They were hoping for a win despite Acuna's season-ending injury.