Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers stated, "The Dodgers' rival is only the San Francisco Giants," which has become a topic of conversation. This implies that the San Diego Padres, who belong to the same division as the Dodgers, are not considered a rival.
According to a report by the U.S. sports media outlet Sporting News on the 12th (Korean time), Muncy recently appeared on the baseball YouTube channel "Foul Territory" and emphasized, "I don't like saying that there are several rivals. There is only one true rival."
He continued, "The New York Yankees' rival has always been the Boston Red Sox. People consider the Houston Astros and Yankees as rivals, but even so, there is only one rival," adding that "San Diego has the elements to be a rival, but it is not a true rival. (There is) only one rival."
Meanwhile, the Dodgers won 5-2 against San Diego in an away game held at Petco Park in San Diego, California, on the 12th. As a result, the Dodgers finished the three-game series with 2 wins and 1 loss. Muncy contributed to the team's victory with a multi-hit performance.
The Dodgers designated Justin Loblawski as the starting pitcher. The batting order included designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, shortstop Mookie Betts, first baseman Freddie Freeman, catcher Will Smith, right fielder Teoscar Hernández, third baseman Max Muncy, center fielder Andy Pahes, left fielder Michael Conforto, and second baseman Hyeseong Kim.
San Diego, starting Randy Vasquez as their pitcher, configured their lineup with right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., first baseman Luis Arraez, third baseman Manny Machado, center fielder Jackson Merrill, left fielder Gavin Sheets, designated hitter Xander Bogaerts, second baseman Jake Cronenworth, shortstop José Iglesias, and catcher Martín Maldonado.
San Diego took the lead by scoring 1 run in the second inning when Maldonado drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs. In response, the Dodgers evened the score at 1-1 with a solo home run by Conforto to left-center field after one out in the fifth.
In the sixth inning, the Dodgers had a chance to score with an infield hit by Freeman and a walk by Smith, putting runners on first and second with one out. Teoscar Hernández hit a three-run homer to center field, giving the Dodgers a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, San Diego had a chance with one out and runners on first and third, and Sheets recorded a sacrifice fly to center field, closing the gap. In the ninth, the Dodgers secured the victory with a timely hit by Smith to right-center.
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