Max Muncy Says Everyone Plays Better When They’re Facing the Dodgers
Boasting the 2024 World Series title and multiple superstar additions to their roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the team to beat this season.
The Dodgers’ spending habits and ability to acquire top talent has placed a target on the franchise’s back — and two-time All-Star Max Muncy understands that MLB teams are aiming to take down L.A. this year.
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“I’ve always felt we have a target on our backs,” Muncy said to the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett. “It was that way last year. It was that way the year before. And we didn’t have titles those years. That’s how it’s always been.”
The pressure is even higher for Los Angeles as they seek back-to-back World Series titles. For Muncy, pressure is part of the job.
“It’s part of playing for the Dodgers,” Muncy added. “That’s why Doc says playing for the Dodgers is not easy. There’s playing Major League Baseball and there’s playing for the Dodgers and it’s not easy.”
Muncy believes that the Dodgers face the best version of their opponents, adding to the pressure of playing for Los Angeles. He told Plunkett teams perform better when they play at Dodger Stadium.
“I talk about it every year. We see it in the scouting reports — a guy throws 93, 94 (mph) and we face him at Dodger Stadium on a Friday night and he’s 96, 97,” Muncy said.
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Muncy joined the Dodgers in 2017, and he was a part of two World Series winning Dodgers teams. The 34-year-old credits the aura of Dodger Stadium and its crowd for players’ heightened performance.
“You see it all the time. Part of that is the aura of playing at Dodger Stadium,” Muncy said. “You have 50,000 people — more than anywhere else in baseball. The lights are brighter. The music is a little louder. All that stuff. That’s just part of the aura of playing at Dodger Stadium.”
Los Angeles completed their first regular season home series of the season Saturday, sweeping the Detroit Tigers. They followed that up with a 6-1 win over the Atlanta Braves, moving them to 6-0 on the year and 4-0 at Dodger Stadium.
As of now, it appears the Dodgers are playing the best baseball at Dodger Stadium.
Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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