Max Muncy emerging into a star with the Los Angeles Dodgers is one of the more unique Major League journeys. He was drafted out of Baylor by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round in 2012 and made his debut with the club three years later.
He spent parts of two seasons with the A’s but wound up being released during Spring Training in 2017. After being out of the league entirely for a bit, the Dodgers gave Muncy a chance by signing him to a Minor League contract.
A year later, he was back in the big leagues and wound up having a breakout 2018 season. Muncy followed that up with an outstanding All-Star campaign in 2019, earning himself a three-year extension with the Dodgers this past offseason.
Muncy’s story is one of perseverance and certainly something that fans can take inspiration from. He got the chance to face his former team on Tuesday night with the Dodgers welcoming the Athletics to town for a three-game series.
Muncy was able to show the Oakland organization what they were missing, hitting a two-run home run to center field in the third inning. “It felt pretty good,” he admitted.
“It’s been a rough stretch, but thankfully it’s not about me. It’s about this team, and us being able to clinch just really magnifies that it’s not about any one of us. It’s about the team. But yeah, the home run felt great, especially against my former team.
“It felt even better. A lot of things colliding all at once.”
Muncy gets the opportunity to face the A’s two more times this week, and with both teams headed to the postseason, it is not out of the question they meet again down the road in the World Series. That of course would be a rematch of 1988 Fall Classic.
Dodgers clinch eighth straight division title with win over Athletics
In addition to Muncy’s special night, it was a big one overall for the Dodgers as their 7-2 win, coupled with a loss by the San Diego Padres, clinched the National League West division title for the eighth consecutive season.
The Dodgers will be heading into the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the NL.
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