LOS ANGELES — As he rounded first base, Max Muncy clapped each fingers collectively emphatically. Freddie Freeman, watching from the dugout, threw his arms as much as the sky in exultation. The lengthy wait was over.
On the ultimate day of April, in his 106th plate look, Muncy hit his first homer of the season.
“Taking part in in L.A. shouldn’t be straightforward, however it’s a privilege,” Muncy mentioned, “and it’s a privilege to play beneath this stress, and it’s one thing I’ve at all times thrived on, however it doesn’t imply it’s been straightforward, for me or my household. It’s been a tough month.”
It was the longest residence run drought of his profession on a number of counts:
After Muncy broke the seal on Wednesday, launching a 2-1 four-seamer from Marlins righty Cal Quantrill a projected 433 toes to straightaway heart discipline, the house dugout reacted in a approach that made it clear they had been simply as thrilled to observe it fly as Muncy was.
“It was enormous for me,” Muncy mentioned. “Nearly somewhat emotional, however this clubhouse may be very tight, very shut. Everybody cares about one another in right here. All of us simply wish to win, and for us to win, everybody must be clicking, and that’s one thing this entire clubhouse buys into.”
Stated supervisor Dave Roberts: “Once you really feel the help out of your teammates, that elation, that pleasure, it will get emotional. That simply speaks to how a lot it’s been carrying on him, the struggles and the shortage of a homer.”
The shortage of energy early on is only one a part of an general chilly begin on the plate. Muncy entered Wednesday hitting .180 with a .531 OPS. He is been drawing extra walks within the second half of April to nudge the latter mark in the proper route, however he is slugging simply .301 via his first 29 video games.
Muncy is the Dodgers’ lively residence run chief, and ninth on the general franchise leaderboard, with 191 round-trippers. His crew knew it was solely a matter of time earlier than he bumped into one, however these round him have seen the frustration.
That made it all of the extra rewarding to lastly see one fall.
“I do know he is been going via it making an attempt to get that first one, get his swing proper,” Freeman mentioned. “He is been working so exhausting. So for him to see some outcomes after all of the exhausting work, hopefully we get the floodgates open for Max.”
