At 20, Braves’ Acuna becomes youngest to hit postseason slam

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlanta Braves rookie Ronald Acuna Jr. has become the youngest player to hit a grand slam in the postseason.

The 20-year-old Acuna made history with his second-inning homer off Walker Buehler in the NL Division Series on Sunday night.

The previous youngest hitter with a postseason grand slam was Yankees Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, who was 21 when he accomplished the feat against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1953 World Series.

Buehler issued a bases-loaded walk to Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb to force in a run. Acuna took three balls and a questionable called strike before pulling a 98-mph fastball from Buehler into the seats in left-center.

The homer gave the Braves, who trail 2-0 in the series, a 5-0 lead. The five second-inning runs were the first of the series for Atlanta.