The Los Angeles Dodgers won against the San Diego Padres in NLDS Game 5 on Friday, securing their spot in the NL Championship Series.
The Dodgers will face the New York Mets in a best-of-seven series starting on Sunday, with the winner moving on to the World Series against either the New York Yankees or the team that wins Saturday’s ALDS Game 5 between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians.
After the game, Dodgers infielder Max Muncy expressed his frustration with critics who doubt the team.
“What was it, 80% of the f—ing experts said we were going to lose?” Muncy told reporters, including ESPN. “F— those guys. We know who we are. We’re the f—ing best team in baseball, and we’re out there to prove it.”
Claiming to be the underdog is a common tactic in sports. However, Muncy might be pushing the limits of that idea by portraying the Dodgers as the underdogs.
(And just to clarify, 50% of CBS Sports MLB’s staff, including this writer, picked the Dodgers to win against the Padres, despite some valid concerns about the team’s injured rotation.)
To be fair, Muncy is right about the Dodgers. They were the best team in baseball during the regular season and have been a leading club for about a decade.
Since Andrew Friedman became the top executive in the 2014-15 offseason, the Dodgers have won more games than any other team, with a total of 943 victories. In fact, no other team has even come within 50 games of that number. The Houston Astros, another strong contender, have won 54 fewer games.
Additionally, the Dodgers had the second-highest payroll in baseball, just behind the Mets, who are their NLCS opponents.
They have three former Most Valuable Player Award winners—Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman—and one of the best pitchers in the world, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, along with a strong supporting cast of good players. There’s even a book about this team titled “How to Beat a Broken Game.”
If you only knew those details about baseball, you would definitely pick the Dodgers to win everything. So, we understand why Muncy feels frustrated with those who chose the Padres. However, this situation shows that even the best team in MLB, with all its talent, money, and intelligence, can still face criticism.
