Max Muncy told Dave Roberts he was close. Then came 3 homers and a walk-off
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Max Muncy was in Dave Roberts' ear in Toronto this week, telling the Los Angeles Dodgers manager that he was getting close to producing hits. He delivered in a big way. The 35-year-old third baseman hit three home runs in a game for the second time in his career, including a walk-off shot in the ninth inning, rallying the Dodgers past the Texas Rangers 8-7 Friday night.
“I still think about the first time I did it,” Muncy said. “To get the win on top of it, it’s great. ” Muncy's power display came on a night when Shohei Ohtani's bobblehead paid homage to the four-time MVP's three-homer outing in Game 4 of last year's NL Championship Series.
“He’s just playing the heck out of third base, he’s taking good at-bats and right now he’s had a good start,” Roberts said. Muncy's first homer in the second inning was his 211th as a Dodger. He overtook Steve Garvey for sole possession of third place on Los Angeles' career list with his second shot in the fourth.
He trails only Ron Cey (228) and Eric Karros (270). “Garvey is kind of a Dodger icon, the way he carried himself, the way he played the game, just a model of consistency,” Muncy said. “He really embodied what being a Dodger was and so to pass him, it’s something that’s really, really special to me.
Hopefully, I can keep climbing. ” Muncy is the first player with three home runs, including a walk-off, since Jack Suwinski on June 19, 2022, and the second Dodger since Don Demeter in 1959. He finished 4-for-5 with five runs and three RBIs in his 20th career multihomer game.