Max Muncy is about to face Max Muncy, and somehow the weirdest part isn’t even the matchup itself.
When the Dodgers and the Athletics meet Tuesday night, it will put two big leaguers with the same name on the same field - a genuinely rare baseball oddity that gets even better the more you dig into it. Both players are healthy, both are in the majors, and both are Max Muncy.
The obvious question is the one everyone asks first: are they related?
They aren’t. The Dodgers’ Max Muncy and the Athletics’ Max Muncy do not share a family tree.
And honestly, that tracks. Two boys from the same generation getting the exact same name would be a tough sell in any household.
What makes this one really fun is how much more lines up beyond the name.
For starters, both Max Muncys were drafted by the Oakland Athletics. That alone is a bizarre enough coincidence.
Then there’s the birthday: both were born on August 25, though 12 years apart. Same name, same draft team, same birthday.
That’s the kind of overlap that feels almost impossible.
Stack it all together, and you’re looking at a 1-in-10,950 chance just for the shared birth date and the shared draft team. And that doesn’t even factor in the hard part - both had to become good enough to reach the major leagues in the first place.
Their full names differ, too. The Dodgers’ Max Muncy is Maxwell Steven Muncy. The Athletics’ Max Muncy is Maxwell Price Muncy.
Baseball is the best.
In Other News...
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All of that has only sharpened Bostons need to keep bolstering the infield, where injuries have already taken a toll all season and the starting middle infield is still a problem. A reported deal nearing the finish line would give the Red Sox another option at second and third base, with a 28-year-old infielder who has handled those spots and has been swinging a productive bat at Triple-A this year. [Read more 🡒]
Even Shorthanded The Athletics Still Have A Real Shohei Ohtani Threat
The Athletics have spent the week shuffling pieces just to keep the roster moving, promoting Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Darell Hernaiz and Kade Morris from Triple-A Las Vegas while also placing Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom on the 10-day injured list. Jos Suarez went on the paternity list and Michael Kelly was designated for assignment, another reminder of how thin things have become for a club already trying to manage absences around Brent Rooker, Zack Gelof and Luis Severino.
Even so, Oakland still has a chance to make this matchup with the Dodgers a little more interesting than it looks on paper. J.T. Ginn is lined up to start, and the As appear set to run Shea Langeliers and Jonah Heim through the lineup against Shohei Ohtani, giving them at least a few proven bats with history against a pitcher who usually turns games into uphill climbs. [Read more 🡒]