One of the many highlights for the Los Angeles Dodgers season took place on June 8 during a game against the San Francisco Giants and longtime ace Madison Bumgarner. It stemmed from Max Muncy launching a home run into McCovey’s Cove in the first inning.
Bumgarner took exception to the relatively quick admiration Muncy had for his majestic drive and shouted in his direction. The two exchanged words as Muncy rounded the bases and crossed home plate.
When asked about the exchange after the game, Muncy said his response to Bumgarner was, “Go get it out of the ocean,” which became a viral sensation. That phrase made its way throughout the sports media world and even onto some shirt designs, one of which Muncy sported in the weeks following the incident.
Nothing more has really come from the exchange, and Muncy said he hoped it would not spark a long personal rivalry with Bumgarner like the one Yasiel Puig had with the Giants pitcher.
Nonetheless, Muncy received support from plenty around the Dodgers in the aftermath of the incident, including Alex Verdugo and Chase Utley.
But they were not the only ones who enjoyed the exchange. Cody Bellinger recently told ESPN’s Pedro Gomez he loved having a front-row seat to the entire saga and considered it a top moment in trash-talking history:
“No. 1 for me, personally. I’ve never been a part of anything like that. It was funny. Maybe not for some people, but I thought it was pretty funny. I don’t know what else to say to that.”
Bumgarner, unsurprisingly, did not find it funny. He took the opportunity to mock MLB’s “Let The Kids Play” promotional campaign, asking spectators to also, “Let me be me.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a more pragmatic take on the event, stating his belief that Bumgarner only yelled at Muncy to fire up his slumping Giants team.
Bumgarner has sparked plenty of on-field conflicts through his career, not afraid to yell at opposing hitters if they seem too flashy for his taste. Of course, his most notorious foe was Puig.
Puig’s trademark flair and stardom for the Giants’ longtime archrival made for an almost perfect target for Bumgarner. The two were at the forefront of multiple benches-clearing fights during Puig’s six seasons in Los Angeles.
A final meeting this season between Bumgarner and Muncy appeared possible for Sunday, but the Giants made a change to scratch their left-hander from the game.
