NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Dodgers are taking it to the New York Mets in Game 4 of the NLCS at Citi Field on Thursday night (GameTracker), and leading the way is, well, Shohei Ohtani. The presumptive NL MVP slugged a leadoff home run in Game 4 and has reached base four times through the first seven innings. Mookie Betts doubled in two runs and hit a two-run homer as well.
Ohtani and Betts are the stars of the show, but what makes the Dodgers dangerous is their lineup depth. Max Muncy, who is starting at first base over Freddie Freeman as Los Angeles manages Freeman's ankle injury, has reached base four times in Game 4 and has now reached base in 12 consecutive plate appearances. That is a postseason record. Here's the leaderboard:
- Max Muncy, 2024 Dodgers: 12 straight times on base
- Reggie Jackson, 1977-78 Yankees: 12
- David Ortiz, 2007 Red Sox: 10
- Billy Hatcher, 1990 Reds: 10
Good omen? Hatcher, Jackson, and Ortiz all won the World Series in the years of their on-base streaks (Jackson won it in both 1977 and 1978). Muncy has the record for a single postseason and is tied with Reggie for the streak overall.
In those 12 plate appearances Muncy has gone home run, walk, walk, walk, single, walk, walk, home run, walk, walk, walk, single. Two singles, two homers, eight walks. No one is throwing Muncy strikes because, when you do throw him strikes, he's getting hits and home runs. The man is locked in right now.
MAD MAX TO THE UPPER TANK 😮😳 pic.twitter.com/XgiasOex8W
— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2024
Muncy's postseason batting line is up to .296/.486/.667 this year. He's a career .239/.394/.494 hitter in 55 career postseason games, which is really remarkable. Muncy's excellent in October seems to have flown under the radar. Now he has the single-postseason record for most consecutive times on base.
A win Thursday would give the Dodgers a 3-1 series lead in the NLCS, and move them to within a game of their first NL pennant since 2020.
