Baylor Professional Athletes

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.

Baylor Bears in MLB | Sept. 27 – Oct. 3, 2026

Max Muncy is doing his part on the field — and apparently off it, too.

The Dodgers third baseman delivered a clutch performance Saturday against Atlanta, going 1-for-3 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored in a 5-3 Los Angeles win. It was the kind of statement game that matters most when a playoff race tightens: Muncy batting .250 on the season, contributing exactly when the Dodgers needed a jolt against the Braves.

But the bigger headlines surrounding Muncy this week had less to do with his bat than with his mouth — in the best possible way.

Muncy's Skubal Endorsement

With Tarik Skubal's impending free agency looming over the league like a storm front, Muncy offered reporters a candid — and telling — portrait of the Tigers ace. According to Yahoo Sports, Muncy praised Skubal's clubhouse presence and demeanor, the kind of unsolicited character reference that tends to surface when a superstar target is being quietly courted. The Dodgers, perpetually linked to marquee free agents, are widely considered a frontrunner for Skubal's services this winter.

Muncy's comments weren't a hard sell, but they didn't need to be. Unprompted praise from a veteran locker-room presence for a pending free agent carries its own gravity — and the timing, right at the edge of the postseason, amplified every word.

Earlier in the week, Muncy had also been productive in Los Angeles's 5-1 win over San Francisco on Sept. 27, going 2-for-the-day with a run and a pair of walks — a patient, professional line from a hitter finding his rhythm at the right time.

Around the Diamond

Elsewhere in the Baylor alumni landscape, Shea Langeliers had a rough end to the week in Oakland. The Athletics catcher logged a hit and a walk in Sunday's opener against Houston but couldn't avoid getting swept up in a 2-13 blowout loss in the day's second game, watching his average tick down from .262 to .261 in the process. The A's, well out of playoff contention, are playing out the string — but Langeliers' bat has shown enough this season to keep him squarely on the radar heading into the offseason.

Cody Bradford toed the rubber for Texas on Sept. 27 against Minnesota, working a single inning in a 4-6 Rangers loss. He allowed one earned run and struck out one, leaving his ERA at 4.30 — a workmanlike outing from a bullpen arm trying to finish the season on solid footing.

The Bigger Picture

For Baylor alumni watchers, the week belonged to Muncy — both for what he did at the plate and what he said in front of the cameras. The Dodgers remain in full playoff mode, and Muncy's production is a piece of that machinery. His Skubal comments, meanwhile, may prove to be the most consequential thing any Bears alum said in a baseball context all week. Free-agency dominoes rarely fall in a vacuum, and Muncy just gave one a nudge.

Max Muncy's Knee Sidelines a Dodger — But Which One?

It's a sentence that requires a double-take: Max Muncy is on the IL with a knee injury. The twist? It's the Athletics' Max Muncy, not the Dodgers'.

The Oakland version of the Baylor-bred third baseman was placed on the 10-day IL with left knee chondromalacia this week, with the Athletics reinstating Joshua Kuroda-Grauer to fill his roster spot. The Dodgers' Max Muncy, meanwhile, has been absent from Los Angeles's lineup against San Francisco — listed out alongside Freddie Freeman — but his situation appears to be a game-to-game absence rather than an IL stint.

Between the two, the Dodgers' Muncy had been quietly productive before his recent absences, going 2-for-2 in back-to-back appearances against San Francisco on September 20 (two hits, an RBI, and a run scored in each outing) while carrying a .256 average at the time. The Athletics' Muncy, now sidelined, was hitting .249 on the season.

Langeliers Stays Hot for Oakland

With one Muncy off the field, the Athletics' most reliable Baylor product down the stretch has been catcher Shea Langeliers. The former Bears backstop has been one of Oakland's more consistent contributors this week, batting .263–.267 across a stretch that included a three-hit game against the Angels on September 23 and a two-RBI performance against Los Angeles on September 24.

Langeliers drew a walk in Saturday's 6-5 win over Houston, a game Oakland needed badly in the final week of the season. At .263 on the year, he's been a stabilizing presence behind the plate and in the middle of a lineup that has had little margin for error.

Bradford Struggles; Loftin Sparks KC

Over in Texas, Cody Bradford took the mound against the Mets on Wednesday in a tough outing — 4.1 innings, two earned runs, just one strikeout — as the Rangers fell 7-2. His ERA sits at 4.19, and with the Rangers' postseason hopes fading, Bradford's final starts of 2026 are largely auditions for next year.

In Kansas City, second baseman Nick Loftin gave Royals fans something to cheer about on Tuesday, going 1-for-the-game with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored in an 11-14 loss to the White Sox. The longball couldn't save Kansas City from the bullpen collapse, but Loftin has hit consistently at .240 across the season's final weeks — a respectable showing for a player still establishing himself at the big-league level.

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Baylor's MLB footprint in the final week of September runs from Oakland to Los Angeles to Kansas City to Arlington. The injury news clouds what should be a strong finish for the program's alumni class, but Langeliers in particular is making a case for a prominent role heading into 2027.

Langeliers Is Back — and He Looks Fine

The most important story for Baylor's MLB contingent this week had nothing to do with box scores. It had to do with a torn meniscus that, for a stretch, looked like it might end Shea Langeliers' season entirely.

The Athletics reinstated their All-Star catcher from the 15-day IL on Saturday, September 13, activating him ahead of a matchup against the Mariners after he'd been sidelined since late July with the knee injury. The feared worst-case scenario — season over — didn't materialize, and Langeliers wasted little time reminding Oakland why his absence hurt.

In his first game back against Seattle, Langeliers went 1-for-however-many with an RBI, then added another hit and two more RBI in the second half of an ugly doubleheader split. He kept the momentum going through the week: a hit and RBI against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, another knock on Tuesday, and a strong Saturday showing against Cleveland — 2 hits, a run scored, and a walk — pushing his average to .265. For a catcher returning from major knee surgery, the swing looks intact. Oakland, limping toward the finish line, at least has its backstop back.

Muncy Saves His Best for the Rivalry

Max Muncy's week with the Dodgers was a study in peaks and valleys — but the peak came at exactly the right moment. With Los Angeles surging late in the season, Muncy delivered in Saturday's rivalry matchup against the San Francisco Giants, going 1-for-the-game with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored as the Dodgers rolled to an 8-2 victory. He was part of a stunning four-homer eighth inning that also featured Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, and Will Smith — a statement sequence against a division rival.

Earlier in the week, Muncy had also contributed 2 hits and 2 RBI in a dominant 8-2 win over the Reds on Thursday, though he sat out multiple games mid-week as the Dodgers managed his workload. His .253 average by week's end reflects a consistent, if unspectacular, stretch run — but clutch contributions in high-leverage games are what postseason rosters are built around.

Loftin Quietly Steady in Kansas City

Royals infielder Nick Loftin had perhaps the quietest notable week of any Bear in the bigs. He played sparingly early, but broke out on Saturday against Pittsburgh, collecting 4 hits and an RBI in a 5-6 loss. It was the kind of performance that raises a manager's eyebrows in September, even if the Royals couldn't convert it into a win.

Bradford Grinds Through Boston

Rounding out the week, Rangers starter Cody Bradford took a tough-luck loss against the Red Sox on Friday, working 4.1 innings and striking out 3 in a 3-4 defeat. His ERA sits at 4.19, and he's given Texas innings when the rotation has needed them — a modest but real contribution down the stretch.

Between Langeliers' comeback, Muncy's rivalry heroics, and Loftin's breakout Saturday, it was a week that reminded anyone watching that the Bears have a genuine footprint across MLB rosters — even in a season already decided for some of their clubs.