Dodgers Interview: Max says Shohei “never stops surprising” him
“It Hit a Little Different Seeing It From Our Side”
LOS ANGELES — In Monday night’s 6–3 win over the Padres, third baseman Max Muncy played a key role in the Dodgers’ five-run fourth inning, but after the game, much of the talk centered around one thing—Shohei Ohtani’s long-awaited return to the mound.
“It was fun,” Muncy said. “It was exciting to see him back out there. Obviously, he’s incredible in the batter’s box, but I think for all of us to see him get back on the mound, it was a really cool moment. The stuff looked electric.”
Ohtani pitched one inning in his first start in over 650 days, allowing one run on two hits while showcasing triple-digit velocity. While Muncy acknowledged Ohtani’s command wasn’t perfect—“When you haven’t pitched in that long and don’t really get a chance to do rehab games, maybe the command’s not going to be there”—he was still awed by the performance.
Asked what it felt like to witness the two-way superstar doing it in a Dodgers uniform, Muncy admitted it was surreal. “We always understood how hard it was to pitch and then come in and hit,” he said. “But seeing him come off the mound and not even go into the dugout—just put his helmet on and walk right to the batter’s box—that kind of hit a little different. It’s incredible what he’s able to do.”
Ohtani didn’t even stop for water. “He threw 25 or 30 pitches in the first inning and didn’t even get a drink. Just put on his helmet and went up to bat,” Muncy said. “That’s really hard to do.”
Was Muncy surprised by how well Ohtani handled it all? “I’m always surprised by him,” he said. “He never stops surprising me. So yeah, we’ll see how it progresses for him. But it’s a big lift for all of us to see him out there doing what he loves.”
Ohtani’s fastball hit 100 mph, something that didn’t catch Muncy off guard. “We were seeing 95, 96 in his sim games. But you pack the stands a little bit and get that extra adrenaline—that’s what you get. So, not too surprised.”
He also noted that Ohtani is pitching differently now. “He’s out of the windup. He didn’t do that before, so yeah, he looks a little different now.”
Muncy’s own night was impactful as well. His two-run single off Dylan Cease capped the Dodgers’ fourth-inning rally that turned the game around. “I think he just made a couple mistakes,” Muncy said of Cease. “Left a few balls up in the zone. The curveball I hit was kind of middle of the plate. In my first at-bat, he didn’t miss anything above the bottom of the zone. So I think he just made a couple mistakes, and we capitalized.”
For Muncy and the Dodgers, it wasn’t just about winning the game—it was about witnessing the return of a teammate whose talent continues to defy belief. “We obviously think very highly of him,” Muncy said. “To get him back doing something he loves—it’s fun for us too.”
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