History will always remember Wednesday, May 3, 2023, as the day that 32-year-old Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy hit his dramatic bottom-of-the-ninth, game-winning, walk-off, grand slam home run to give the Dodgers a 10-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium, and understandably so.

It was Muncy’s MLB-leading 12th home run of the season and it not only gave the Dodgers a three-game series sweep of the Phillies, but also a six-game homestand sweep, having also taken all three from the St. Louis Cardinals over the preceding weekend.

“I was really just trying to get a job done. I made a goof to start the game off, I feel it got (Dodgers rookie starting right-hander Gavin) Stone out of his rhythm a little bit, and so I like to atone for my mistakes, and so I feel like that was a good chance to do it,” Muncy told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson after receiving a well deserved ice water shower from his happy teammates.

That “goof” was a first-inning fielding error by Muncy that led an unearned run to give Philadelphia an early 1-0 lead off of the 24-year-old Stone in his major league debut. But Muncy’s dramatic walk-off granny did indeed “atone” for his “goof.”

But in the half inning preceding Muncy’s heroics, 34-year-old Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas made a defensive play which, although significantly overshadowed by Muncy’s epic 353-foot game-winning shot into the right field corner, was, as Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis put it: “Man, when you throw the context into this, that’s the defensive play of the year.”

Although Dodgers right-hander Caleb Ferguson began the top of the ninth and got Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber to ground out to Dodgers second baseman Miguel Vargas for the first out of the inning, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in hard-throwing right-hander Brusdar Graterol to replace Ferguson (after facing only one batter) to pitch to Phillies shortstop Trea Turner.

On his sixth pitch to the former Dodgers shortstop, Graterol got Turner to hit a high chopper to Rojas, on which he made a spectacular barehand grab and throw to nail Turner at first base on a very close play for the second out of the inning, prompting an excited Joe Davis to say: “Baltimore chop. Rojas. Barehand! No way! Oh, what a play!” Davis then added his now-infamous “defensive play of the year” comment.

Davis’ broadcaster partner Dontrelle Willis quickly added: “If Rojas doesn’t make that play, it’s at least 7-6 Phillies.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

Following Rojas’ great defensive play, always dangerous Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper singled to left. Graterol then walked Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos on six pitches and gave up a RBI single to Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott to tie the score at 6-6 and moving Castellanos into scoring position at second base. And though Graterol then struck out Phillies first baseman Alec Bohm to end the inning and the threat, one can only wonder how that inning might have played out had Rojas not made “the defensive play of the year.”

Then again, it’s hard to believe that the Phillies would have actually scored more than the 10 runs they would have needed to overcome Muncy’s bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off grand slam.

…but you just never know.

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As an interesting side note, with Muncy’s bottom-of-the-ninth, game-winning, walk-off, grand slam home run on Wednesday, the Dodgers became the first team in MLB history to do so twice in a span of two-weeks or less, with outfielder James Outman having also done so on April 20.

Play Ball!

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