Max Muncy claims Dodgers have only one rival, and it's not Yankees or Padres

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the most successful MLB teams in recent years. Over the last decade or so, the Dodgers have had intense battles against the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees, even beating both teams en route to the World Series title last season.

However, Dodgers slugger Max Muncy claims neither the Padres nor the Yankees are their rival. Muncy said the San Francisco Giants are the Dodgers' only rival. He also cited the Yankees' rivalry with the Boston Red Sox, downplaying New York's battles against the Houston Astros.

Muncy said on "Foul Territory" ahead of the Dodgers' series opener against the Padres on Monday:

"The Padres bring everything that is in a rivalry, but you only have one rival. I don't like when people say you have rivals. I just think if you have a rival, it's your counterpart, and that's always going to be the Giants for the Dodgers, at least, and it's always going to be the Red Sox for the Yankees.

"People always made the argument that the Astros and Yankees had a good rivalry going, and that's true, but you only have one rival. Like I said, the Padres bring everything that a rivalry brings. For me, your rival is just one team, you don't have multiple teams as your rival."

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Dodgers down Padres in thrilling series opener at Petco Park

While Max Muncy downplayed the Dodgers' rivalry with the Padres, the two teams were involved in an intense contest on Monday at Petco Park. The reigning World Series winners had a two-run surge to take a 2-0 lead after the top of the first inning.

The Padres fought back with two runs in the bottom to tie the game. The hosts took a 3-2 lead after the second, but the Dodgers came back to go 5-3 ahead in the top of the third. Tyler Wade's bases-clearing triple restored the Padres' lead in the bottom third, making it 6-5.

The Dodgers made it 6-6 in the fifth inning, and the game eventually went to extra innings. The NL West leaders took an 8-6 lead in the 10th, and despite Jackson Merrill's RBI double, the Padres fell 8-7.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash