Max Muncy has been through enough October baseball to know the routine by now, but that doesn’t make it any less real for him. The Dodgers veteran said the postseason still brings out that edge, even after another regular season in which he returned to his All-Star level.
With Los Angeles waiting to learn its National League Division Series opponent, Muncy said the club is treating this week like a live wire. The goal is simple: stay sharp, stay connected, and make sure nothing goes cold before the first pitch of October.
“We’re trying to focus on ourselves getting ready this week,” he said via Zoom.
That approach sounds a lot like the old line about staying ready so you don’t have to get ready, and Muncy made it clear the Dodgers are leaning into that idea. Just like they did in 2024, players are still reporting to the stadium every day even though there are no games on the schedule.
It’s not exactly a luxury for personal time or family life, but Muncy said playoff baseball demands that kind of commitment. Teams that get a bye may be fresher, but they’re also dealing with an opponent that has already been through the grind.
“It’s hard to go from being in an at-home setting to find trying to find a way to flip the switch,” he said. “And so the best way for us to do that was you get everyone together, you keep them at the field, you find a way to not let that switch ever be flipped off. That was something that I thought we did a really good job of in ’24 and we’re going to try to do it again this year.”
Muncy also pointed to the way those daily gatherings help the Dodgers keep building something bigger than just readiness. In his view, the postseason is where a team tightens up as one group.
“It also helps the Dodgers continue to build team chemistry, as “the postseason is when you’re going to come together,” he said.
That kind of unity figures to matter once the competition ratchets up. Muncy acknowledged the Dodgers have had their issues against some of the league’s best teams this season, but he wasn’t interested in reading too much into regular-season results.
“This is the big leagues. These are the best players in the world,” he said.
For him, October has a way of flattening out all the neat matchups and paper advantages people like to talk about. A team can roll through another one over six months and then run into a completely different story when the calendar flips.
“I know there’s things you look at on paper where you say, ‘this is a good matchup,’ but in October, it really doesn’t matter,” he said.
The only thing left now is the field itself. On Saturday, the Dodgers will finally find out what comes next.
In Other News...
Dodgers Face A Miguel Rojas Postseason Wrinkle They Didn't Expect
Miguel Rojas is juggling more than the usual October pressure as the Dodgers get ready for the National League Division Series. The veteran infielder is scheduled to take his U.S. citizenship test on Oct. 2 in Miami, a timing quirk that could pull him away from the club at the exact moment the postseason begins. Rojas is hoping to make it back in time for Game 1, but the Dodgers are once again being asked to plan around a player whose value goes beyond the box score.
There is also a bigger layer hanging over the situation, one that makes this more than just a travel inconvenience. Rojas has said he would only keep playing if the Dodgers offer him a contract, and his current deal runs out after the World Series, leaving his future unsettled even as the club tries to line up for October. For a team that has leaned on experience and versatility all season, it is a reminder that the roster questions do not stop when the bracket does. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Finally Know When Their NLDS Opener Will Begin
The Dodgers finally have a start time for their NLDS opener, and it comes with the usual October combination of anticipation and uncertainty. Major League Baseball set Game 1 of Los Angeles Division Series for Saturday at 1 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium, giving the club a clear target as it waits to learn whether its opponent will be the Braves or the Phillies.
The broader playoff picture also tightened up Wednesday, when the Padres beat the Cubs 4-1 to finish a two-game sweep in the wild card series and move on to face the Brewers. For the Dodgers, the next step still depends on the result of the Atlanta-Philadelphia game, and while the first pitch is locked in, the remaining schedule for the series has yet to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers NLDS Opener Comes With A Tough Twist Fans Will Feel
The Dodgers now know their NLDS opener will arrive Saturday at 1 p.m. PT, and the matchup will come against either the Braves or the Phillies once the deciding game is settled Thursday. San Diegos sweep through the Wild Card round cleared the path for Los Angeles, but the first step of this next series carries an immediate test before a pitch is even thrown.
Forecasts are calling for temperatures near 100 degrees for the opener, a brutal backdrop that could shape how the game is played. Heat this extreme can wear on hitters and lengthen the challenge for both clubs, making the start of the series feel less like a normal October afternoon and more like a survival test. [Read more 🡒]