The Legend of Three Dingers (and One Very Sad Baseball)
DISCLAIMER: It was a late Friday night in Indiana (1 AM-ish), and when Edwin Diaz came in with a 7-4 lead, I almost went to bed, but something told me to stay up. I’m glad I did. Here’s the tale… Ladies and gentlemen, gather ‘round — because on Friday night at the Ravine, Max…
DISCLAIMER: It was a late Friday night in Indiana (1 AM-ish), and when Edwin Diaz came in with a 7-4 lead, I almost went to bed, but something told me to stay up. I’m glad I did. Here’s the tale…
Ladies and gentlemen, gather ‘round — because on Friday night at the Ravine, Max Muncy did not simply have a baseball game… he hosted a fireworks show with a side of chaos and a sprinkle of “are you kidding me”?
On a perfectly normal Friday night at Dodger Stadium, Muncy woke up and chose absolute violence… against baseballs.
- First at-bat? Boom. Ball leaves the premises like it forgot to pay rent.
- Second at-bat? Boom again. Opposite field this time, just to show off like a guy flipping pancakes one-handed.
- Third act? Oh, just a walk-off homer in the ninth inning, because subtlety is for other people.
Final score: Dodgers 8, Rangers 7, and several baseballs are currently filing missing persons reports.
Climbing the Dodger Mountain
Muncy is now basically playing home run Frogger, hopping past legends like Steve Garvey on the all-time list.
He’s sitting at 213 homers, which puts him:
- Ahead of Garvey (sorry, Steve — still handsome though)
- Chasing names like Ron Cey and Eric Karros
- Still looking up at the Dodgers’ Mount Rushmore guys like Duke Snider and Gil Hodges
At this rate, Muncy might need a ladder… or a jetpack.
Historic? Yeah, Just Casually
According to the stat wizards (who absolutely love nights like this), Max Muncy:
- Became only the second Dodger ever to hit 3 homers, including a walk-off, joining Don Demeter from 1959
- Pulled off a stat line so ridiculous it reads like a video game cheat code:
- 3 HR
- 4 hits
- 5+ runs
- Walk-off
Somewhere, a spreadsheet burst into flames trying to process it.
Muncy’s Reaction (Spoiler: Very Chill)
While the rest of us are screaming into nachos, Muncy basically shrugged and said:
“Yeah, hitting one homer is cool. Three? Also cool.”
I say, “Sir… you just turned a baseball game into a Marvel movie.”‘
Final Thought
Max Muncy isn’t just climbing the Dodgers home run list…
He’s kicking the door open, grabbing a bat, and rearranging the furniture.
And if he gets hot for 10 days? Opposing pitchers might want to consider a nice, relaxing vacation in the Caribbean.
Dodgers’ All-Time Home Run Leaders
- Duke Snider – 389
- Gil Hodges – 361
- Eric Karros – 270
- Roy Campanella – 242
- Ron Cey – 228
- Max Muncy – 213
Max will likely play another year after this, barring injury. I can see him possibly sitting at #3 when he retires as a Dodger Legend! If you disagree and don’t like that, get it out of the ocean!
Is Edwin Diaz Ok?
I went back yesterday after the Friday night game and looked at Edwin Diaz’s pitches, and his fastball velocity was noticeably down. It averaged a tick below 95 MPH and never hit 97. According to Baseball Savant, Diaz’s fastball velocity is here:
2021 – 98.8 MPH
2022 – 99.1 MPH
2023 – Injured
2024 – 97.5 MPH
2025 – 97.2 MPH
2026 – 95.8 MPH
… and his average Friday night was below 95 MPH. I detect a trend. Those are just the facts. I do not want to jinx him and speculate, but I hope that Tanner Scott is healthy and that Evan Phillips is progressing nicely. To me, this does not look good. His arm (elbow) is coming unraveled!
Down on the Farm
OKC – The Comets pulled to .500 (7-7) by beating Round Rock 10-9. Ward and Gauthier each had 3 hits (Ward hit his 3rd HR) while Fitzgerald and Suwinski each had 2 hits. River Ryan allowed 4 hits in 3 IP and 2 runs while striking out 4 and walking 1. He looks like a guy recovering (nicely) from surgery.
Tulsa – Tulsa moved to 6-2 with a 5-3 win over Springfield. DePaula had a double, and Hope hit a 3-run HR. Wyatt Crowell went 5 shutout innings, allowing 3 hits while walking 2 and striking out 7.
Great Lakes – The Loons move to 6-2 as well with a 9-4 win over the Whitecaps. Wagner (watch this guy) had 3 hits, including his 3rd HR, and Davalan had 2. Root was not impressive, but Figueredo was.
Ontario – The Tower buzzers also won 2-0, moving their record to 5-3. Easton Shelton was 2-3 with an HR and drove in both runs. It was a good day as the Dodgers won at every level.
London Bound and Other Stuff
My wife enjoyed London so much, when she and her daughter and granddaughters were there last week, that she booked a family vacation there from July 27 to August 3… for 11 of us. Yikes! When I asked what it cost, she said, “You don’t want to know.” Life is never dull with my wife… She now has “The Bar on Baldwin” – that’s the street, and Lola’s Table is set to open in June. Just when you think you might have a quiet life – BANG!
I am entering the home stretch on my book. The editing should be done by the end of July, and then there will be some revisions. So, it will be published sometime after that. I’ll keep you posted. Friday, we applied for the ISBN number, and my author name is the same as my real name: Mark Stephen Timmons. This is all new territory for me. Also, since I don’t have enough to do, US Water Systems is opening a new company focused on cartridge filters and housings, all of which are currently made in China or Mexico. The biggest player, Pentek, does about $300 Million. We now have 100% American-made products, and by eliminating two-step distribution, we can go direct to dealers at the same price as foreign-made products. All I want is a 20% share of their market! Stay tuned.
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Discussion (101)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Not panic at all. Just an observation that the kid is not making progress. He keeps putting the team behind the 8 ball. 6 plus ERA after three games. hasn’t made it out of the 5th inning in any of his starts. Forces the bullpen into the game early, and today, they were not up to the task. Whole staff with way too many walks today.
Patience, Grasshopper. The Dodgers are on track to win 119 games. The keyword is “Don’t Panic !”
Sasaki is the worst pitcher on the staff. AAA is calling.
Have to agree with you about Ben and Hernandez. With Hernandez it is a little maddening because of his stuff. But the boys at OKC were not that great today. They had an 8 run second inning, but were tied in the 8th at 11, and had to score a run in the bottom of the 8th for the 12-11 win. Tibbs III hit his 8th, Suwinski his 2nd, Erhard his 2nd,
Watching Sasaki today was so painful! Not pouring on the young man, but how much longer can they run him out there being that bad? It’s like being behind 3-0 before the first pitch is even made. Hopefully he can get right. Hernandez and Casparius aren’t long for the big leagues either!
I trust Sasaki about as much as I did my exe wife. Not one bit. Walks to many, looks like he is scared before he makes any pitch.
Trade him and bring up Thibbs
Lotta noncompetitive AB’s from Mr. Tucker. He is pressing (taking balls down the middle and then expanding the zone). A couple of weeks ago, he said he was gonna hack his way out of his slumber — plan ain’t working.
Is that us to your standards, AVF?
Buses!
Alnna Rizzo loves the Dodgers, but she will never come back to LA.
I wonder what happened to B & P? It’s just that he asked him to tone it down a notch, and he left.
No one has ever used my name and “golf” in the same sentence. When I had my shoulder replaced, I asked the doctor if I would be able to play golf after it healed and he said, “Yes.” I said, “Good, because I couldn’t play it before!”
Sasaki is hard to watch.
No I’ve got a Mercedes E Class so only fits 4 passengers. I’m sure there’s vehicles that can accommodate 11 passengers. Willl look forward to it.
The Cotswolds are also magnificent. And Ireland!
My good friend, Tony Jackson, is also a good friend of Bill Plunkett. I wish I could tell the stories that beat writers know but can’t talk about. I’ll give you a hint about one thing later. You will just have to pick up on the cue and clues.
Watford, Absolutely, I am sure my wife and son would be down for a pint (or two), as well. Do you have a cab that accommodates 11? By the way, you should know that I have horns and a tail! Well, actually, it’s horns and a tale!
Mark. It’s great to hear your wife had a wonderful time here in London. It doesn’t surprise me though. Just spent the weekend walking round, taking in all the sites and history, interspersed with lots of liquid refreshments along the way. I love London pubs. Every day living here feels like I’m a tourist. Hopefully you’ll have time for some food or a couple of beers during your visit. Be great to meet you. That time of year is special here. Bobby and I have made contact, and I’m really looking forward to meeting him in a couple of weeks. Brian, funny that you visited my hometown. I lived a mile from the Harry Potter Tour and Warmer Studiios until I moved into London. Dodgers wise things have started well. Not missing Mookie too much. Dare I say the offense looks pretty good without him.
Thanks for reminding me. I had forgot about old Patch. Haven’t seen him post anywhere in a while.
Clayton and Max are Texans and last of a breed.
My wife is a big curry fan… not me, but I am sure she is writing this trip off as a business trip for Foodies.
In honor of the Great AVF: 4:10 PM ET Rangers (7-7) Dodgers (11-3) SP Jacob deGrom R 0-0 3.72 ERA SP Roki Sasaki R 0-1 7.00 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L RF Kyle Tucker L CF Andy Pages R 1B F. Freeman L 3B Max Muncy L 2B Alex Freeland B C Dalton Rushing L LF Alex Call R CF Andy Pages R SS Hyeseong Kim L 64° Wind 7 mph Out to CF
Won’t argue that. Golf courses are incredible polluters and a profound waste of space.
Was the highlight of my trip Michael. B&P was a great guy, as was Patch (DodgerPatch).