The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Edwin Diaz a $69 million contract last offseason to stabilize a ninth inning that was rocky throughout 2025. That’s not what they got Friday, but that didn’t stop them from a dramatic 8-7 win courtesy of Max Muncy’s three-homer game.
After converting his first four save opportunities with the Dodgers in 2026, Diaz allowed a three-run lead to slip away against the bottom of the Texas Rangers’ order. It was the first time since April 9, 2025 that he allowed more than two runs in a single outing.
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That game a year ago wasn’t a save situation either, so it’s Diaz’s first blown three-run save since the 2024 season.
After entering the ninth up 7-4, Diaz got into trouble immediately when pinch-hitter Joc Pederson hit a leadoff single (thanks to a successful ABS challenge that overturned a called strike three). Evan Carter published him one batter later with a first-pitch homer to cut the deficit to a single run.
Diaz recovered with a strikeout of Danny Jansen and a flyout from Josh Smith, but a Josh Jung single, Sam Haggerty pinch-run stolen base and Ezequiel Duran single brought in the tying run.
At that point, Diaz was still in plenty of trouble with Corey Seager up to bat, but he struck out the former World Series MVP to keep the game tied going into the ninth.
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Rewinding back to the first few innings, the Dodgers had scored their first two runs on a pair of solo homers from Max Muncy. With two outs, he connected for a third off Jacob Latz to bail out Diaz.
It was the second three-homer game of Muncy’s career. Per Elias Sports, he is only the second Dodgers player to post a three-homer game that included a walk-off, with the first being Don Demeter in 1959.
Most of the Dodgers’ other offense came from Andy Pages, who continued a hot start to the season with a 3-for-3 performance with a walk and eighth-inning home run that gave the Dodgers some needed insurance runs. Combined, he and Muncy went 7-for-8 with 7 runs, 7 RBI, a double and 4 homers.
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No one else on the Dodgers had an extra-base hit.
The win improved the Dodgers’ record to an MLB-best 10-3, making them the first team in the league to reach 10 wins on the season. It was a victory that became harder than it needed to be, but it became a showcase of the Dodgers’ depth in the process. Their $23 million per year closer melted down, so they rode an offensive explosion from the No. 5 and No. 9 hitters.
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