Max Muncy moved into sole possession of second place on the Los Angeles Dodgers all-time home run list on July 22, 2026.
Muncy said the swing came at a moment when he was simply trying to advance a runner from second base with fewer than two outs. He had prepared for a curveball from Aaron Nola, a pitcher he said he has "really struggled with in the past," but instead got a changeup. "So I wanted the curveball to start up out over... he went with the changeup and because I was leaning looking out over, I was able to recognize it, just stay on it and get a good swing on it," Muncy explained.
Muncy recalled being ready to simply put the ball on the ground to the right side of the infield before recognizing the pitch. "I was fully prepared to just smother it on the ground to Bryce and uh, you know, he went with the changeup," he recalled. He added that his focus in the at-bat was on the team situation rather than any personal milestone. "I was just trying to get a situation done and I got rewarded for trying to do the right thing," he said.
Asked about closing in on Eric Karros for the top spot on the list, Muncy said he was not looking ahead. "No, you just take it one game at a time. I can't think about it because then I go into the box trying to do something that is never a good thing to try to do," he stated. He noted that everything has felt good at the plate lately, aided by a short rest, and mentioned he plans to reflect on the achievement later with family rather than in the moment. Muncy also acknowledged he did not manage to retrieve the home run ball afterward.
Muncy pointed to the team's approach as the reason for its success in series play, noting the win marked the team's 22nd series victory of the season so far. "You try to win every game that you're playing, but you just focus on the one that you have in front of you and that's what we've been doing all year long," he said.