Ronald Acuña Jr. becomes fastest to 200 homers, 200 steals as Braves beat Nationals 9-0

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a three-run homer to become the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 9-0 on Wednesday.

Sean Murphy homered for the third time in five games, a three-run shot in the sixth inning that broke a scoreless tie in a game that was interrupted by a 1-hour, 25-minute rain delay in the fourth.

Acuña followed with a drive to left-center in the seventh, his 14th of the season, to make it 6-0. He needed 904 games to reach the 200/200 club. Alfonso Soriano set the previous record at 929 games in August of 2006 while playing for the Nationals against the Braves.

Acuña stole the 225th base of his career and 20th of the season, swiping second after his leadoff single in the sixth against Riley Cornelio (2-2), who struck out the next two batters. After Michael Harris II was walked intentionally, Murphy took Cornelio deep to left.

Acuña led off the fourth with a single off Nationals starter Brad Lord. A walk and an error loaded the bases before it started raining. When play resumed, Cornelio came in and retired Murphy and Mike Yastrzemski to escape the jam.

Grant Holmes needed only 26 pitches to retire the first nine Nationals before the delay. Dylan Dodd worked a scoreless inning and Elieser Hernández (2-0) pitched the next three, allowing two hits, including James Wood's two-out single in the sixth for Washington's first hit.

Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz left in the fourth inning after taking a foul ball off his mask.

The Braves will start LHP Chris Sale (13-9, 2.06) on Friday at Philadelphia opposite Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez (16-4, 2.52) in the opener of a four-game series. The Nationals begin a series at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Washington Nationals pitcher Brad Lord throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves , Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Atlanta Braves pitcher Grant Holmes throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. celebrates his three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuna Jr. celebrates his three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two people were killed and the suspect is dead after a shooting in a downtown Minneapolis apartment building Wednesday afternoon, according to police.

Three Minneapolis police officers were also injured, including two of them from gunshot wounds, police Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a press conference on Wednesday evening. All three officers are in stable condition, according to Hennepin County Medical Center.

A 911 call about shots fired at the building came in just after 4:30 p.m. and officers entered the building three minutes later to find victims inside the high-rise, Parten said.

They heard more gunshots and followed them to a higher floor, where they found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” he said.

“This is a tremendously tragic event and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, the loved ones of those who lost their lives, those who were injured and with the injured officers and their families,” Parten said.

One of the victims was fatally shot at the scene, and one died after arriving at the hospital, he said.

Parten said it was not immediately clear how the shooter died.

Hennepin County Medical Center said it received seven patients but didn’t share additional information about the conditions of those wounded.

Julius Bailey was sitting outside of his apartment building when he heard gun shots and saw a man he recognized as a resident of the building holding a pistol. Bailey said he heard a woman screaming and immediately started running away. He said he counted eight shots.

Bailey said that he recognized the man holding the gun because he was someone who was known for showing off his weapon. Bailey said he has tried to avoid the man since moving into the building in June.

“I could tell he was trouble,” he said.

Chris Miller, who also lives in the apartment building, said he heard a rapid succession of gunshots and quickly ran outside for safety. He said he believed he knew who carried out the shooting and that he encountered someone in the hallway with a handgun earlier this week and reported that person to management.

Video posted to social media showed police aiming rifles upward at an apartment tower near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Officials warned residents to avoid the densely populated Loring Park neighborhood nearby.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on social media that state officials are on the ground helping local law enforcement respond to the shooting.

“Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz said. “Minnesota is praying for our first responders.”

The FBI is responding to the shooting and “will offer any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities,” Director Kash Patel said in a post on the social platform X.

Associated Press journalists Hallie Golden in Seattle, Safiyah Riddle in Los Angeles and Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Police respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)