Ronald Acuña Jr. caught the New York Yankees off-guard with a spectacular throw to end the third inning in the Atlanta Braves' series-opening 7-3 victory Friday night.
The All-Star right fielder threw out Jorbit Vivas at third base when the runner was trying to tag up on a deep fly to the corner in right.
At 301 feet -- with no bounces -- it is the longest outfield assist this season and the first throw of 300-plus feet with no bounces since Mookie Betts' 302-foot throw to keep Ketel Marte from stretching a double into a triple on July 31, 2020.
"His accuracy is stupid," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Acuña. "He's a weapon in right field. His arm is so strong and accurate, and the ball carries, release is good. He's special out there."
Acuña caught the ball just in front of the warning track with his back to the infield. He spun and fired a throw that reached third base just in time for Nacho Alvarez Jr. to tag a slowing Vivas, who ignored third-base coach Luis Rojas' signal to slide.
"I just always try to anticipate those plays," Acuña said through an interpreter. "That's really what I always try to focus on, anticipating the play before it happens. I really wasn't trying to do anything besides that. Thankfully, I have a good arm."
Alvarez was casual as the throw approached in an attempt to fool Vivas, who would likely have been safe if he had run hard all the way and slid.
"[Vivas] got deked," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "That just can't happen. I did that all my career at third base. Just kind of play dumb, play dead. And that's what [Vivas] read. The body language of Alvarez there just deked him. He knew it was a deep fly ball, so it caught up to him. ... It's a lesson that that can't happen on a baseball field, especially in that situation."
It was the longest throw to complete a double play since 2021, when Adam Eaton's throw traveled 302 feet on July 4.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
