The Los Angeles Dodgers took a commanding 3-1 lead over the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series, putting them one win away from reaching the World Series.
The Dodgers have been firing on all cylinders in the NLCS with their offense and pitching staff both completely locked in. While many hitters have contributed, one who has stood out above the rest is Max Muncy.
In the fifth inning of Game 2, Muncy put the Dodgers on the board with a solo home run, and he followed that with two more walks in their only losing game. In Game 3, Muncy went 2-for-2 and drew three walks. On Thursday, Muncy started his night 1-for-1 and later added three more walks.
That gave Muncy 12 consecutive plate appearances reaching base safely, which set and tied a pair of postseason records. Muncy now holds the record for consecutive plate appearances reaching base safely in a single postseason year, surpassing the previous record of 10 by David Ortiz in 2007 and Billy Hatcher in 1990.
He ended up tying Reggie Jackson for most consecutive times reaching safely in the postseason, across any number of seasons, with 12. Jackson had his streak take place from 1977-1978.
“I was just made aware that he set a postseason record with consecutive times on base,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And [Wednesday], he didn’t swing at one ball, one pitch, out of the hitting zone. Given all the stuff and how you’re seeing different arms, the stuff, the velocity, the spin is so good and late, it’s remarkable.”
Muncy’s streak of reaching base finally came to an end with a strikeout as he chased a pitch outside the zone. It concluded a remarkable run that has Muncy as a potential favorite to win the NLCS MVP Award, should the Dodgers advance to the Fall Classic.
In this postseason, Muncy is hitting .286/.474/.643 with three home runs, five RBI and one stolen base. Getting his bat back to contributing at an elite level has been important with Freddie Freeman out and showing a lack of power due to his ankle injury.
“Well, he means a lot,” Roberts said of Muncy. “It’s a left-handed bat that can slug. He really controls the zone well. Obviously with Freddie in this situation to be able to kick him back over to first base adds the versatility part of the defense.
“Last night was a clinic in how you conduct at-bats. I don’t think he swung at a ball all last night, which is pretty remarkable. I thought that the hit in Game 1 was a big thing for Max, in the sense it was a two-out hit and he showed the willingness to shorten up his swing to drive in a run and not really try to go for an extra base hit because we didn’t need one at that time.
“And case in point, last night I thought he did a good job pulling his hands in on a cutter to get a base hit to right field. And then ultimately he gets a homer. It’s just a presence, because in the lineup he’s a threat, and that matters.”
Max Muncy symbolizes Dodgers’ approach
The Dodgers have taken 32 walks during the NLCS, a staggering average of eight per game against the Mets’ pitching staff. Roberts credited Muncy for leading the charge.
“It’s remarkable,” Roberts said. “And leading the way is Max Muncy.”
Roberts continued: “I still believe that these players are better than they’ve ever been and given, obviously, with information and things like that. Today was a good one for us in the sense that Quintana, he nibbles. And he’s a crafty veteran pitcher, and you’ve got to be really stubborn in your hitting zone.
“Our hitting coaches did a great job. I thought we did a good job using the big part of the field, getting to the ‘pen, taxing them, winning pitches. And when we get to their ‘pen, we do the same thing. We’ve had a lot of good looks at the guys in their ‘pen. And the one guy we really don’t want to see, we haven’t seen much of.
“So to keep him in the ‘pen is a good thing for all of us. But outside of that guy, we’ve seen everyone else. So I feel good about that. I think we’ve got Peterson tomorrow, so we’ve seen him. The goal is to get him out of the game and make him have a short outing.”
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