Max Muncy Hits 3 Home Runs, Including Walk Off, to Help Dodgers Top Rangers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Max Muncy hit three homers, including a game-winning, two-out solo shot in the ninth inning after Edwin Diaz blew his first save, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied past the Texas Rangers 8-7 Friday night in the opener of a series between the last three World Series champions.
Diaz (1-0) blew his first save in six appearances with a three-run ninth that tied the game, 7-7. He gave up a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Joc Pederson before Evan Carter hammered a first-pitch fastball to right field. After two outs, Josh Jung singled. Pinch-runner Sam Haggerty stole second and Brandon Nimmo was intentionally walked. Ezequiel Duran followed with a tying single to left.
After Will Smith and Freddie Freeman struck out, Muncy hit a 401-foot shot to right off Jakob Latz (0-1).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Dodgers first rallied in the sixth on Andy Pages' go-ahead, two-run double.
The NL West-leading Dodgers trailed by two runs before ending the AL West-leading Rangers' three-game winning streak. Texas won the World Series in 2023, and the Dodgers followed with back-to-back titles in 2024 and '25.
Muncy hit solo shots in the second and fourth innings off Rangers' starter Kumar Rocker. Muncy had his second career three-homer game and moved into sole possession of sixth all-time with 212 career homers for the Dodgers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Dodgers rapped out 15 hits, with Muncy reaching base four times. In the eighth, the ball went off the glove of first baseman Jake Burger in foul territory, triggering a foot race to the bag. Muncy collided with reliever Luis Curvelo, who went down. Curvelo tossed a couple warmup pitches and remained in the game.
Shohei Ohtani singled in the fifth, extending his on-base streak to 44 games and surpassing Ichiro Suzuki for the longest such streak by a Japanese-born player. It was Ohtani's only hit on his first bobblehead night of the season.
Pages also reached base four times with four RBIs, falling a triple short of the cycle. He singled in the second, walked in the fifth, doubled in the sixth and hit a two-run blast off Curvelo in the eighth, making it 7-4.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Rangers led 3-1 on Corey Seager's three-run homer with two outs off Dodgers' starter Tyler Glasnow.
Wyatt Langford extended the Rangers' lead to 4-2 with a two-out solo homer — his first of the season — in the fifth. He was replaced in the sixth because of right quad tightness.
Up next
Rangers RHP Jack Leiter (1-0, 2.45 ERA) starts Saturday against RHP Emmet Sheehan (1-0, 8.00).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reporting by The Associated Press.