Earlier this month during a three-game series at Oracle Park, the historic rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants was seemingly rekindled when Max Muncy sent a Madison Bumgarner fastball into McCovey Cove for a solo home run.
The 28-year-old gazed at his admirable blast that traveled an estimated 426 feet and then dropped his bat, which drew the ire of Bumgarner. The tempestuous left-hander immediately confronted Muncy on the basepaths, and the two exchanged words with each other.
When asked of their war of words after the game, Muncy revealed that he told Bumgarner to “go get the ball out of the ocean” if he took exception to him watching the drive.
The quote instantly became a hit among fans. T-shirts with Muncy’s remarks quickly came to fruition, similar to the “#DontLookAtMe” shirts that gained popularity when Bumgarner muttered the phrase to Yasiel Puig during their altercation in 2016.
With the Giants in town for a four-game series at Dodger Stadium, Muncy has been spotted wearing different variations of his newly-inspired shirt during batting practice.
Although he isn’t one to seek the spotlight, Muncy is a fan of the shirts for a multitude of reasons and the spectacle they have created around baseball, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN:
“I didn’t want it to become a huge thing because it’s not my personality, but at the same time, it was kind of a cool thing,” he said, looking down and tugging at one of the shirts on Wednesday afternoon. “On top of that, it’s a comfy T-shirt. Seriously. It’s more comfortable than a lot of the shirts we get to wear in there.”
Having already worn shirts that reference the moment throughout the homestand, Muncy hinted that he might do so again Thursday, when the Dodgers face Bumgarner:
“I might break it out again,” Muncy said behind a wry smile. “It’s more my personality to not do that, but we’ll see what happens.”
As Muncy continues to remind Bumgarner of their dustup earlier this month, he has additionally made the Giants pay with his bat. Starting in the first two games of the series, Muncy collected three hits in seven at-bats over the stretch, including hitting his 17th home run of the season in the opener.
With the Giants potentially entering into a rebuild and the trade deadline looming, Thursday may be the final opportunity Bumgarner and Muncy get to face one another while members of the Giants and Dodgers.
