For the fifth consecutive season and the 12th time in franchise history, the Los Angeles Dodgers had a participant in the Home Run Derby. This year the honor fell to Max Muncy, who was one of eight sluggers partaking in the annual event.
Muncy followed in the footsteps of teammates Yasiel Puig (2014), Joc Pederson (2015), Corey Seager (2016) and Cody Bellinger (2017) to compete in the Derby in recent years.
The 27-year-old has come out of nowhere to have a monster season for the Dodgers after beginning the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Despite only appearing in 74 games in the first half, Muncy ranks fourth in the National League with 22 home runs to go along with 41 RBI and a .271/.409/.604 slashline.
He was a part of the NL All-Star Final Vote ballot, although he ultimately lost of to Jesús Aguilar of the Milwaukee Brewers, who also competed in the Home Run Derby.
As the No. 3 seed in the event, Muncy took on Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs in the first round.
Baez hit first and put on a show, hitting 16 balls out of the ballpark, including one that traveled 479 feet. He hit two balls that went farther than 440 feet, so he earned 30 seconds of extra time, putting a ton of pressure on Muncy.
Muncy stepped up to the challenge though and got into a groove in the second half of his round. He hit his 17th home run to advance to the second round with 35 seconds left in his round.
He then took on the hometown host, Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper in the second round, and it was clear that Muncy suffered through a bit of fatigue. He never quite got into that same groove as the first round, finishing with 12 homers.
Harper, who was the favorite going into the event, got off to a slow start as well, but he got into that groove in the second half of his round and easily hit enough to eliminate Muncy and advance to the finals.
Harper then went on to win it in dramatic fashion, hitting 19 to beat Kyle Schwarber of the Cubs in the finals.
As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.
