Max Muncy returned from the 60-day injured list this week and played a key role in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Muncy hit a home run in each of the first two games and then added two doubles in the series finale on Wednesday. In the three games, he went 4-for-10 with four extra-base hits, six RBIs and two walks.
“It’s more of a relief,” Muncy said when asked what the strong performances mean for him personally. “It’s definitely a good pitching team there, arguably the best in baseball. And it’s been really, really good to get some big hits.”
“It was a good feeling to be back out there, and most importantly, it was a good series win for the team, a series win. It felt like the whole team in the lineup had really good at-bats. It was fun to be back out there.”
Muncy admitted he didn’t expect to find immediate success upon returning to the Dodgers’ lineup. “I would definitely say it was unexpected, considering my timing was sub-90-second speed during my rehab assignment, and to suddenly be facing multiple guys throwing 100, it’s definitely unexpected for me,” he said.
“But like I said, it felt good to just try to keep things simple and get some good results out there.”
Muncy added that his swing is at an interesting point in that it is not quite where it was before his injury, but also not quite at a point where he has to start the process of getting it back to the right place after such a long layoff.
“It’s a little bit of both. We had a few cues that we were trying to address before I got hurt. And then the whole time I was sitting there, even though I couldn’t swing, we were trying to reinforce those cues,” Muncy said.
“And then when I come back, it’s natural for me to think about these things. But at the same time, you have to find your momentum again. So it’s a bit of both.”
Dave Roberts impressed by Max Muncy
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that it was difficult to get back into full swing after a three-month break and praised Muncy for giving the club new momentum.
“I think what stands out to me is that we’re in the race for the championship, we haven’t played for, say, three months, and now we have to hit the ground running,” Roberts said of Muncy.
“I understand that every play, every hit is important and that he’s there to help us. He obviously did that on offense and we needed every bit of it. Tonight, with the big double that cleared the basses, we were able to get out of Kopech’s way. That has an exponential effect on our ballclub. And that’s why it’s just really good to have him.”
Are you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to hit the notification bell to watch player interviews, enter shows and giveaways, and stay up to date with all the latest Dodgers news and rumors!
