Max Muncy returned from the 60-day injured list this week and played a key role in the Los Angeles Dodgers completing a sweep of the Seattle Mariners.
Muncy homered in each of the first two matchups and then added a pair of doubles in the series finale on Wednesday. He went 4-for-10 with four extra-base hits, six RBI and two walks in the three games.
“It’s more relief,” Muncy answered when asked what the strong performances mean for him personally. “That’s definitely a good pitching staff over there, arguably the best in baseball. And to be able to just get a couple big swings off felt really, really good.
“Felt good to be back out there, and most importantly, it was a good series win for the team, series sweep. It felt like the whole team up and down the lineup was putting together really good at-bats. It was fun to be back out there.”
Muncy admitted that he did not expect to find immediate success upon returning to the Dodgers lineup. “I would definitely say it’s unexpected, considering my timing wasn’t exactly there with low 90s velo during my rehab assignment, and all of a sudden, facing several guys throwing 100, it’s definitely unexpected for me,” he said.
“But like I said, it felt good, just trying to keep things simple and got some good results out there.”
Muncy added his swing is in an interesting spot as in it’s not fully where it was before his injury, but it’s also not fully at a point where he’s had to start over the process of getting it in the right spot after missing so much time.
“It’s a little bit of both. We had some cues that we were trying to lock in before I got hurt. And then the whole time I’m sitting there, we just tried to reinforce those cues, even though I wasn’t able to swing,” Muncy said.
“And then when I come back, it’s just kind of second nature to be thinking about that stuff. But at the same time, you have to get your swing back. So it’s a little bit of both.”
Dave Roberts impressed with Max Muncy
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the difficulty of picking right back up after missing three months and praised Muncy for giving the club a boost.
“I think the thing that stands out for me is we’re in a pennant race, and not having played for, call it three months, and to get back, hit the ground running,” Roberts said of Muncy.
“I understand every play, every at-bat is important, and for him to pick us up. So he’s obviously done that on the offensive side, and we’ve needed every bit of it Tonight with the big basses-clearing double allowed us to stay away from Kopech. That has an exponential effect on our ball club. And so it’s just really good to have him.”
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