Marlins' Mattingly: Acuna's slide on Rojas was 'dirty'

The heated rivalry between the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. got spicier on Wednesday.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly called out Acuna for his slide into shortstop Miguel Rojas during the seventh inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Acuna appeared to spike Rojas around the knee, leaving the infielder less than pleased.

"If you get spiked above the knee, I'd call it dirty in today's game," Mattingly said, according to The Athletic's David O'Brien. "Maybe 15 years ago, you'd blow that guy up and nobody says a word.

"But in today's game if you spike a guy above the knee, I think you'd call that dirty. Again, it's just baseball. He started to slide hard. I think everything's good until he throws a spike above the knee."

This is just the latest issue between the Marlins and Acuna, dating back to 2018 when Miami right-hander Jose Urena hit the outfielder with a pitch.

Acuna was hit again on Tuesday in the third inning after flipping his bat following a leadoff home run earlier in the contest. The umpires issued warnings to both teams after the plunking.

It was the fifth time in Acuna's career that he was hit by the Marlins.

Acuna took to social media after the Game 1 victory to offer his feelings about the Marlins, saying they hit him "because they don't get me out" before channeling UFC fighter Conor McGregor with an apology to "absolutely nobody" for how he acts on the field.

The Marlins and Braves play Game 2 on Wednesday, starting at 2:08 p.m. ET. Acuna will hit leadoff for Atlanta against Miami starter Pablo Lopez.