Ronald Acuña Jr. Married His Longtime Fiancée Hours Before Making MLB History

Ronald Acuña, Jr. married his long time fiancée Maria Laborde in a private ceremony on Thursday morning, before going on to shatter MLB records that night.

Acuña and Laborde were married in a small reception in Agoura Hill, CA. Just a few hours later, the Atlanta Braves outfielder made baseball history while leading his team to a win against the Dodgers. Acuña became the first player to score 30 home runs in a month and steal 60 bases in one season.

Speaking about his wedding, Acuña admitted to reporters that it had been a secret plan for a while. “I didn’t mention anything to anybody,” he said through a translator. “It’s something that I’ve had planned out weeks ahead.” Still, the details only came together at the last minute. After arriving at the team hotel early Thursday morning, Acuña and his family caught a quick nap before an early morning road trip to the mountains outside Los Angeles.

He and Laborde made the decision in the face of her return to Venezuela with the couple’s three children. Due to her visa, Laborde and the kids would have had to return to the country at the end of this week, and wouldn’t have been able to come back to the U.S. for three months.

“It means a lot to me,” Acuña Jr. remarked, via ESPN. “The kids were born here, but the mom needs to come and go. I don’t like that process. It’s really a hassle. If we go to the playoffs, if we go to the World Series, and they’re not with me, it’s tough. I want my family to be here with me.”

Later that day, Acuña would go on to best Mookie Betts and notch an MLB record. The outfielder credits his loving brood with providing the support to make his accomplishments possible. "It's really complicated when players are alone, because when things are going bad you don't have that support," Acuña said. "Family is the most important thing in life."