Max Muncy tried the torpedo bat, then went back to his usual lumber with the game on the line for the Dodgers. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(Ronald Martinez via Getty Images)
If Max Muncy wanted a message from the baseball gods, they just provided a pretty strong endorsement against the torpedo bat.
The Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman entered Wednesday off to a rough start, despite his team’s undefeated run to open the season. He was slashing .095/.208/.143 and was the lineup’s only power bat without a homer on the season.
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It’s those kinds of situations in which players are most receptive to something new. He told reporters on Monday he ordered a torpedo bat out of curiosity and was seen swinging one at batting practice before Wednesday’s game. The bat apparently felt alright, as he used it in the game as well.
Muncy did not get off to a good start, on both sides of the ball. He committed a throwing error in the top of the first inning that allowed two unearned runs, then went hitless with a strikeout in his first three plate appearances. It was thanks to a lockdown performance by the Dodgers bullpen and home runs by Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto that he entered the batter’s box in the eighth inning with two runners on and a chance to tie the game.
With his old bat.
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Swinging what might now be called MLB’s traditional lumber, Muncy laced a two-out double against Braves closer (they were aggressive with their bullpen after an 0-7 start) and made it a new ball game. It was easily his biggest hit of the season.
Kiké Hernández struck out on the next at-bat to end the inning and strand Muncy at second, but then Shohei Ohtani came through one inning later with a walkoff homer on his bobblehead night. The Dodgers are now 8-0, the longest undefeated run by a defending champion to open the season in MLB history.
The turn of events goes to show the torpedo bat isn’t for everyone, and isn’t a magical cure for a slump. At the end of the day, the hard part is putting wood on the ball, and Muncy wanted his old equipment when his team needed a hit more than anything.
