Dodgers Interview: Muncy Happy to Play Supporting Role to Lights-Out Starters

MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers are flying home up 2–0 because Yoshinobu Yamamoto painted a complete game on 111 pitches and Max Muncy added the exclamation point. It was clinical. It was loud. It was fun. Afterward Muncy kept circling back to Yamamoto’s poise and the way the lineup finally squeezed Milwaukee late.

“Blake’s night was pretty historic and then Yoshi finished the game,” Muncy said, asked to compare back-to-back gems. “Both were equally incredible. The thing that stood out most to me was Yoshi giving up the leadoff homer and then that really being the only damage all game long. That was pretty impressive.” He liked the solve when command wobbled. “There were a couple innings where he lost the command a little bit and still found a way to navigate around that,” he said. “They’re both equally impressive. I don’t know which one you’d rather pick, but I guess technically Yoshi finished the game.”

The rotation’s run has been exactly what the clubhouse expected. “We said before this postseason started, our starting pitching was going to be what carried us and so far it’s been exactly that,” Muncy said. “What is that now? It’s eight games we’ve played, seven quality starts. That’s pretty impressive. If you’re trying to build the recipe to win games, that would be where you would start.”

The middle innings broke open because traffic finally turned into runs. “Just getting guys on base,” Muncy said about the sixth, seventh, and eighth. “Anytime you can create traffic, especially in the postseason, it puts a lot of pressure on the opposing pitchers. In these types of environments the heart starts racing and that creates a lot of havoc on the pitcher. Anytime you can get guys on base it amplifies that. They’re more liable to make mistakes, and we found a way to take advantage of a couple pitches.”

Then came the swing that cleared center. And a flash of déjà vu. “I definitely thought he caught it,” Muncy admitted when asked if Sal Frelick fooled him again. “That back wall is so close to the center field wall. I didn’t see the ball bounce at all. When I didn’t see it bounce, I thought he came down with it again and I was about to be very frustrated. But when I saw him kind of sit on the ground, that’s when I realized he didn’t have it.” The moment landed hard. “I was obviously very ecstatic,” he said. “Big home run in that moment. Get us another run, get another run for Yoshi to feel a little more comfortable. And in the back of my mind, I also knew that one broke the record. For me, that was a really cool moment.”

The record matters because of the uniform. “It means a lot to me,” Muncy said after passing the Dodgers franchise mark for postseason homers. “The Dodgers are a franchise that have been around for a very, very long time. A lot of very successful players have played in this organization, and to be able to break that record is kind of huge for me.” He framed it as a byproduct of October volume. “It speaks to the fact that I’ve had a chance to play in so many postseason games,” he said. “The biggest thing about being a Dodger is you’re going to have a chance in October to play meaningful baseball games. To be able to have that chance every single year I’ve been here, that’s always been the most important thing to me. You get as many chances as you can to win that World Series. That’s the reason you play this game, and to hold a little history in a great organization like the Dodgers is huge.”

Up 2–0, Muncy still sees room to climb. “Offensively at least, there are still some opportunities that we can take advantage of,” he said. “It’s really hard to say the pitching can step up any more than what they’ve been doing, but from our standpoint there are still some moments we could take advantage of. I still think there’s another gear in there.” He didn’t dress it up. “At the end of the day, we’re winning games and that’s the most important part,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how you do it. You find a way to come away with a W, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

For Yamamoto, Tuesday felt like the best version yet. “I think it’s the most comfortable I’ve seen him for sure,” Muncy said. “The more I’ve gotten to know him, the more I still think there’s more in there, and I think he thinks there’s more in there, too. Which is really hard to say because he’s been incredible this year. He’s been our most reliable guy.” He traced that comfort back to the transition year. “You make that move to a new country, a new league, it’s really tough,” he said. “I think it took him a little bit last year to find that groove, and the way he showed up in spring this year you could tell he was a lot more comfortable. Being around the guys, how everything works, the season. This year he’s taken it to another level, and despite all that I still think there’s more in there for him.” The toolbox is deep. “He’s incredible in how he goes about pitching and attacking hitters,” Muncy said. “The number of pitches he can throw, the number he can command, it’s really, really impressive.”

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