Latest news with #Max Muncy
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2 days ago
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Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani joins 40 home run club with center field moonshot
The post Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani joins 40 home run club with center field moonshot appeared first on ClutchPoints. In a game where Blake Snell recorded double-digit strikes in his first game at Dodger Stadium since April, the headlines once again go to Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who officially joined the 40 home run club with an absolute no-doubter to center field. Stepping up to the plate in the fifth inning with his team up 2-0 thanks to a home run by Max Muncy, Ohtani squared up, took the count to 3-1, and absolutely punished an 86 mph sinker to the tune of a 417-foot home run to just right of center field. Now, for Ohtani, a 40-home run season is nothing new, as he's accomplished the feat four times in the last five seasons, including last season in LA. But the accomplishment was notable all the same for a number of reasons, including that it marks the first time a Dodgers player has had back-to-back 40 home run seasons since all the way back in 2002, when Shawn Green went on a run for the Blue and White. It also marked the fastest a Dodgers batter has gotten to 40 home runs in franchise history, passing Cody Bellinger in 2019 by six games. When, some may wonder, was the last time a Dodgers pitcher hit 40 home runs in a season once, let alone twice? Well, that would be… never. Joining an unlikely home run competition with Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber, who has been on an absolute tear as of late, Ohtani technically trails his East Coast rival by one run at time of publication. What Ohtani doesn't have to worry about is Schwarber suddenly becoming a Gold Glover, let alone a converted pitcher at the tender age of 32, giving him the clear edge. If Ohtani continues to dominate at the plate and on the mound, he very well could find himself with another MVP on his mantle, marking the first time a Dodgers player has accomplished that feat ever, despite the franchise being around since 1883, when the MLB was just seven years old. Related: Blake Snell isn't satisfied after 10K win over Blue Jays Related: Dodgers outfielder gets injury update from Dave Roberts after scary HBP
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3 days ago
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Max Muncy leapfrogs Matt Kemp on all-time Dodgers home run list
The post Max Muncy leapfrogs Matt Kemp on all-time Dodgers home run list appeared first on ClutchPoints. When Max Muncy went down with a scary leg injury at the beginning of July, it felt to many fans like he took the entire Los Angeles Dodgers offense with him. An underrated hitter who always gives opposing pitchers tough at-bats, Muncy did a little bit of everything for the Dodgers in the middle of their order, and left a hole that his teammates simply couldn't overcome as they all shifted into more prominent roles. While the Dodgers attempted to get better at the 2025 MLB trade deadline without shedding any major contracts along the way, with Brock Stewart heading to the bullpen and Alex Call joining an outfield platoon with Michael Conforto, Andy Pages, and Teoscar Hernandez, Muncy's return had to be the most highly anticipated return to Dave Roberts' lineup, as he's become somewhat of a calimg presence in the middle of the order. And in only his second game back, Muncy made good on that anticipation, hitting a no-doubt home run in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals to bring the score to 2-0. The home run, to right center field off a 95 mph heater down the middle, is significant not only because it padded LA's lead but also because it officially moved Muncy past Matt Kemp on the Dodgers' all-time home run leader board, securing him sole possession of spot No. 7 with 204 bombs in a blue and white uniform. The only players in front of him? Well that would be Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Eric Karros, Roy Campanella, Ron Cey, and Steve Garvey, also known as some of the very best players to ever do it in franchise history. Originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the then-Oakland Athletics, Muncy technically played his first two professional seasons near California's capital before landing in Los Angeles in 2018, where he signed a minor league contract after being waived at the end of spring training. Muncy eventually saw playing time with the big club and never looked back, appearing in 968 games and counting for LA between the regular season and playoffs. And if he can keep hitting dingers when his team needs him most, it's safe to assume he might be coming for Garvey next, as seven more home runs is nothing for the 34-year-old stalwart, especially since he hit 205 on his very next at-bat. Related: Why Dodgers' Mookie Betts is not 'excited' despite breakout 3-hit game Related: Dodgers' Teoscar Hernandez follows Max Muncy's lead with 2nd homer vs. Cardinals
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7 days ago
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Max Muncy's second homer of the day (15)
Max Muncy swats his second home run of the game to right-center field, making it 4-2 Dodgers in the bottom of the 3rd inning
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7 days ago
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Max Muncy's solo homer (14)
Max Muncy hammers a solo home run to right-center field, making it 2-0 Dodgers in the bottom of the 1st inning
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19-07-2025
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'As lucky as we could be.' Dodgers' Max Muncy already recovering better than expected
Max Muncy knew he had gotten lucky, after his ugly-looking knee injury earlier this month proved to be nothing more than a bone bruise. But, when doctors explained how close he came to suffering something so much worse, from when Michael A. Taylor slid into his leg at third base on July 2, even Muncy was amazed by the infinitesimal margins. 'If the timing was just a millisecond different either way,' he was told, 'you're probably looking at surgery, and done for a long time.' Instead, barely two weeks removed from having the outside of his knee bent inward on that play, Muncy was out doing early work at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon; running in the outfield, playing catch with coaches and performing agility drills in front of trainers without any obvious signs of pain or discomfort. Read more: Dodgers are shut out by Brewers, but Tyler Glasnow shows signs of growth 'We're pleasantly, not surprised, but happy with the spot that I'm in right now,' Muncy said afterward, having also taken swings for the first time since his injury earlier on Friday afternoon. 'It feels great. I'm moving well. Progressing quickly. We're trying to be smart about it, and understand where we're at, and what it's gonna take to get back on the field. But we're in a really good spot … We're kind of right where we think we should be at.' If not, it seems, already a few steps ahead. While Muncy was initially expected to miss roughly six weeks with his left knee bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts struck a more optimistic tone as the Dodgers opened the second half of their season. 'He's in great shape right now,' Roberts said Friday. 'I don't really know a timeline. But I do know … it's going to be a lot sooner than anticipated, which is good for all of us.' Since Muncy — who was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in May and June — got hurt, the Dodgers have not looked like the same offense. In their last 11 games entering Saturday, the club was 3-8, averaging less than three runs per game, and struggling to fill the gaping hole their slugging third baseman has left in the middle of the lineup. Since the start of July, only the penny-pinching Pittsburgh Pirates have been worse than the Dodgers in batting average (.205) and OPS (.594). 'We've still got a lot of good players,' Roberts said. 'But yeah, there's a certain line of demarcation when Max is not in the lineup, what happens to our offense.' The Dodgers' problems, of course, go beyond Muncy's absence. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have all been slumping of late (or, in Betts' case, for much of the season). Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have been nowhere near their typical standard since returning from injuries in May. And the depth options the Dodgers have called upon have provided few sparks of life. Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers' long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever-steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake. 'We got to figure out how to get something going," said outfielder Michael Conforto, chief among the Dodgers' underachievers this season. "Every time we go out there, we expect to score, and that's what we've been doing all year. It's just one of those stretches [where it's] a little bit tougher to get runs in. But, you know, obviously, we have faith in our guys, and some big names in here that made their careers on scoring runs and driving guys in. I think we'll be OK." Muncy, of course, is one of those proven names. And in another fortunate stroke with his recovery, he remains confident his injury won't significantly impact his swing once he does come back. 'If [the injury] was on the inside of the knee, it'd probably be a different story,' Muncy said. 'But just being on the outside, I think it's a good spot, knowing that I don't feel it at all when I'm pushing off on the backside.' Read more: Shaikin: Why the small-market Milwaukee Brewers might be America's team Muncy tested that theory for the first time Friday, taking some light swings in the cage that he said 'felt fine.' 'It's a lot of work, more work than actually playing in the game, which always sucks,' Muncy said of his rehab process. 'But it's that way for a reason … You don't want to have any other injuries that are a side effect from it.' So far, even that latter concern has been quelled, with Muncy noting that 'there's no lingering side effects with it.' 'All in all,' he reiterated, 'we're about as lucky as we could be.' Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
