LOS ANGELES — Max Muncy finally got to enjoy something Dodgers fans had been waiting on all home stand: his first home run of the season. In Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Guardians at a rainy Dodger Stadium, it came with a little extra juice too, since it was hit off a left-hander. For a hitter who heard plenty last year about his splits, that part stood out. Muncy sounded happy about it afterward, but he also sounded like a guy who feels good about where his swing is right now.

Rare Homer off a Lefthander

As Muncy put it, “I didn’t have to wait till May this year. So, it’s a good start. I know I feel really good in the box. I got a lot of at-bats off lefties in spring. And I think I had more at-bats off lefties than righties actually, and I feel really, really comfortable up there. Some of the stuff we worked on is sticking really well right now, and just got to keep progressing into the season.”

That fit with the bigger picture too, because Muncy made it sound like the Dodgers lineup still has another gear to find, even with the club already stacking wins. “We’re still finding our stride a little bit. We’ve had some opportunities that we haven’t cashed in, but we’re putting together really good at-bats and we’ve just been getting pitched really tough these first couple of games. I like the at-bats that everyone’s been taking, and we’ve been having a couple results here and there, but this kind of baseball, you’re going to have stretches where you go off and stretches where you don’t.”

Marveling at Shohei

Of course, on this night, a lot of the postgame conversation drifted back to Shohei Ohtani, because that is what happens when your designated hitter is also out there spinning six shutout innings. Muncy sounded both amused and amazed by it. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that. That’s pretty special. It’s really hard to put into words when you actually see it in person, what he’s able to do. Really, my only thought is, how good is that guy going to sleep tonight?”

Muncy also gave a pretty telling answer when he was asked whether Ohtani’s work on the mound surprises him. “I know everyone talks about his hitting, but getting to know him over the years, he really loves pitching. He loves everything about it. I think pitching is what he’s really all about. Just to see him continue to progress, it’s no surprise to me at all. It’s just pretty incredible. When you watch him go about his work every single day, he’s really bought into everything with pitching, his mechanics, how to attack hitters. He just focuses on it so much, and you can really, really tell that he loves it.”

And when the question turned to the full-season version of Ohtani as a two-way player, Muncy was thinking big. “It’s definitely exciting. If he’s able to do it the whole year, that’s just a huge boost to our pitching staff, which we already feel really good about. I expect nothing short of almost Cy Young out of him.”

Grinding it out

Muncy also touched on another part of the game that mattered Tuesday night. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee was out after four innings, and Muncy made clear that wearing down a starter is always part of the plan. “That’s kind of the whole goal, is to get the starter out of the game. The more bullpen arms you can see, the better chances you’re going to have. And the more opportunities you get to see guys, the better your at-bats are going to be. The more bullpen guys you get in, the more often you’re going to see them throughout the series, and that’s always the plan.”

And because it was one of those wet, messy nights at Dodger Stadium, Muncy closed with the most relatable quote of the evening. Asked if he liked playing in the rain, he said, “No. That was zero fun. Especially since I’m wearing the glasses now. I didn’t like having to stay hidden in the dugout and not be up on the top railing trying to keep my glasses clean. So, I wasn’t a big fan of that one.”

That pretty much summed up the weather. Still, Muncy’s swing looked good, his first homer is in the books, and the Dodgers got another win. In a rainy game that could have turned into a slog, he gave them a big swing and gave fans a pretty good reason to think there’s more coming.

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