When you look at the line score from Friday night’s game between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers, you see a lopsided 5-0 Dodgers win. But if you were among the 43,533 on hand at Dodger Stadium or, better still, among the millions watching on television or on-line, you got to witness and witness again on replays what was arguably one of the best defensive plays of the season, it not the defensive play of the season.

Staked with a seemingly comfortable 5-0 lead in the top half of the eighth inning thanks to two solo home runs by Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson, an impressive two-run opposite field home run by Dodgers first baseman David Freese, and a RBI triple by Dodgers shortstop Chris Taylor to put the Dodgers out of what former Dodger and former (wait for it…) Nationals manager Dusty Baker used to call “slam range,” Baker’s former team loaded the bases on back-to-back singles by Nats second baseman Brian Dozier and shortstop Wilmer Difo off of Dodgers left-handed reliever Julio Urias, who had come in to replace Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda after his absolutely brilliant 6.0 innings of one-hit / shutout baseball.

With no outs and runners on first and second, the 22-year-old Dodgers lefty got Nationals pinch-hitter Adrían Sanchez to pop out to short and right fielder Adam Eaton to line out to a shifted and perfectly-positioned Pederson in left field. But just when it appeared that the young Culiacan, Mexico native was going to get out of the jam he had created, Urias hit Nationals center fielder Victor Robles on the wrist with a pitch to load the bases and bring ever-dangerous Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon (and his .318 batting average and six home runs) to the plate.

On the first pitch he saw, a 95.1-mph fastball, Rendon absolutely smoked it down the left field line for what would have easily been a two or possibly even bases-clearing double into the corner.

Would have.

Instead, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, who was playing deep and (thankfully) just off the line, made a spectacular diving grab of the ball, scampered back to his feet, and then made another spectacular dive to touch third base with his outstretched glove just inches ahead of a diving Difo, just as Dozier was about to step on home plate.

Here again, Muncy’s shutout-saving dive(s) do not appear in the line score and simply reads “Forceout” on Gameday. But make no mistake, there was nothing simple about it.

Well done, Max Muncy. Well done indeed.

Play Ball!

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