Baylor Professional Athletes

Baylor Bears in MLB | Oct. 11–17, 2026

Max Muncy's postseason week encapsulates everything brutal and beautiful about October baseball — in the span of a few days, the Baylor product became the face of one of the most stunning collapses in recent Dodgers history while simultaneously earning recognition as one of the game's best defenders at his position.

The Collapse

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the NLCS as presumptive favorites. By the time the series shifted back to LA, they were staring down an 0-3 hole against the Milwaukee Brewers, one loss away from a sweep that would end a dynasty's World Series run without so much as a whimper.

Muncy didn't hide from it. Asked to explain what was happening, the Baylor third baseman offered one of the more candid postgame quotes of the postseason: "We're playing like s---. They're playing great." No spin, no deflection — just the kind of blunt locker-room honesty that tends to go viral, and did.

The numbers back up the frustration. Muncy hit .208 across the NLCS, putting together two hits in the games tracked during the period. In a lineup stacked with Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers' collective offensive failure was a team-wide problem — but Muncy, as one of the veteran voices in the clubhouse, wore it accordingly.

Earlier in the series, Muncy also offered candid remarks on Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Game 2 performance after the Dodgers fell to Milwaukee, and was briefly the subject of a lineup decision before Game 3 that drew attention across the league. When your team is down 2-0 in a best-of-seven, every roster move gets a microscope.

The Brewers ultimately completed a run that left the baseball world stunned. The Dodgers — perennial October fixtures — went out without winning a game.

The Bright Spot

Against the backdrop of the NLCS wreckage, the league announced its 2026 Gold Glove finalists — and Muncy's name appeared among the top-three third basemen in the National League. Rawlings' announcement recognized his defensive excellence at the hot corner, a validation of work that doesn't always show up on a highlight reel the way a home run does.

It's a meaningful distinction. Gold Glove recognition at third base in the NL is fiercely competitive, and landing in the top three puts Muncy in elite company regardless of whether he takes home the award.

For Baylor fans, it's the silver lining in an otherwise painful October: their guy played the field at an All-Star level, spoke truthfully when it mattered, and didn't look for an exit when cameras were rolling.

Also Watching

Fellow Baylor alum Nick Loftin — a Royals infielder — earned his own Gold Glove finalist nod in the American League, per Sports Illustrated. Loftin's recognition adds to his long-term value in Kansas City and gives Bears alumni two players appearing on the same Gold Glove finalist list in the same week — a quietly remarkable feat for Waco.

The Dodgers may be fishing in October. But Baylor's fingerprints on the postseason conversation were impossible to miss.

Max Muncy has never needed October to believe in him — he's made a habit of believing in himself. The Baylor product capped a dominant NLDS run against the Atlanta Braves this week by setting a Los Angeles Dodgers franchise record with his 19th career postseason home run, cementing his status as one of the most reliable October performers in franchise history.

The Record-Breaker

Muncy's defining moment came in Game 4 on Wednesday, October 8, when he crushed a ninth-inning solo shot off Atlanta's bullpen to provide insurance in the Dodgers' 4-1 series-clinching win. The blast pushed his postseason homer total to 19, a new franchise record. A prayer candle — yes, an actual prayer candle — had reportedly appeared in the Dodgers' dugout bearing Muncy's likeness before the game, and whatever forces it summoned, they delivered.

The scene in the clubhouse afterward was predictably chaotic. Muncy, ever the locker room sage, was asked about a certain teammate who celebrated with a little too much… exposure. He knew exactly whose cheeks were out. He wasn't telling.

The Full Series Run

Muncy didn't save it all for the clincher. He homered in three of the four games — a sequence that traces back to the NLDS opener on Saturday, October 4, when he went deep in a 5-3 Dodgers win alongside Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker, with Tarik Skubal handling a sweltering triple-digit afternoon on the mound.

He sat Game 2 — the Dodgers announced a lineup change that moved Miguel Rojas into the starting role — but came back with a solo home run in the 3-2 loss on October 5, a late-game answer that wasn't quite enough to complete the comeback against six Atlanta relievers.

Then came Games 3 and 4, the pivot point of the series. The Dodgers got to Chris Sale in Atlanta, then closed it out with Wednesday's decisive victory. Muncy went 1-for-4 in the clincher, with the home run, an RBI, and a run scored. His slash line across the series settled at .250 — modest on paper, electric in practice.

What's Next

Los Angeles advances to the NLCS, where Muncy and the Dodgers will continue their October run. If his postseason track record is any guide — and 19 home runs worth of evidence says it is — Baylor fans have every reason to keep watching.

Muncy was a two-time All-Big 12 selection at Baylor before the Dodgers drafted him in 2012. More than a decade later, he's still making Waco proud in the biggest moments on the biggest stages.

No other Baylor alumni were active in postseason play during this period.