Acuña homers and Braves end season with 4-1 win over Pirates

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ATLANTA (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a two-run home run in the first inning and the Atlanta Braves ended their season with a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Chris Sale (7-5) allowed one run on four hits with nine strikeouts and five walks in 5 2/3 innings after coming on in the second inning for opener Charlie Morton making possibly his final major league appearance. Raisel Iglesias earned his 22nd save of the season.

Acuña’s 21st home run was hit approximately 451 feet. Matt Olson's eighth-inning RBI single gave the Braves an insurance run and he subsequently scored on Jared Triolo's throwing error to first base.

Morton allowed two hits and a walk over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The 41-year-old Morton, who was signed by the Braves on Sept. 22, got the start so he can potentially retire as a Brave, the team he was drafted by in 2002 and debuted for in 2008.

For the Pirates, right-handed starter Johan Oviedo (2-1) allowed two runs on three hits with three strikeouts over five innings.

The Pirates scored their run in the sixth when Bryan Reynolds hit a one-out double and Joey Bart followed with an RBI single. Bart represented the tying run but he was caught attempting to steal second base by Braves catcher Drake Baldwin. Sale struck out Alexander Canario to get out of the inning.

When Morton appeared for the Braves, he was the 71st different player used by Atlanta this season which established a major league record. The Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles both used 70 players in 2024.

The Pirates haven’t made the postseason since 2015 and it’s the first time the Braves have missed the playoffs since 2017.

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