For a Los Angeles Dodgers team that was coming off a dominant World Series title, the 2025 season had no shortage of moments where LA has felt like the underdog.
Especially with all the offseason moves made heading into the title-defense season, the Dodgers looked even stronger than the team that was previously crowned champions of the baseball world, but with a chilling mix of injuries, underperformance, and at times, bad luck, LA has had to earn every victory.
All-Star third baseman Max Muncy spoke on what it was like to recently clinch the Dodgers’ 12th NL West title in 13 years, and how it was far from a straightforward path for his team.
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“It’s amazing. It’s definitely not something I take for granted,” Muncy said. “This year we went through a lot, we had a lot of injuries, maybe guys who didn’t perform up to their abilities, myself included. It was a tough year, but we got here in the end. I think it speaks to the resilience of this team.”
Muncy has had a rough month of September following his return from an oblique injury, but proved to be one of the most productive Dodgers in the batting order from the end of April (when he started to wear glasses to address astigmatism in his right eye) onward. Since April 30, Muncy is hitting .268/.406/.563 with an OPS of .969.
Muncy also touched on how despite the emotional journey the 2025 season has brought his team, there was another major facet of inspiration in the form of future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw announcing his retirement at the end of the year.
“This one kind of means a lot,” Muncy said. “We’ve gone through a lot and then Kersh announced it’s going to be his last one, so this one feels a little bit sweeter. I’ve been through a lot of these, but this one feels really special.”
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Photo Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images
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