“Everyone’s trying, but I think the effort could still be enhanced and improved, and more focused,” Dave Roberts said. The Dodgers knew the kind of pressure and history they were under when they entered their home stadium to face the worst-ranked team in the AL Central, the Kansas City Royals. Last year, from July 4 to August 13, the Dodgers went 12-21, which ultimately cost them a postseason bye. So, when the Tuesday game went into extra innings, Max Muncy knew he had to buckle up and deliver.

“It actually simplified the situation. I didn’t need to overthink it—just get the ball out to the outfield. And Shohei was on third. He’s a fast runner, so in that sense, it eased my mind a little,” Max Muncy said, as per DodgersMuse on X.

Yes, the Dodgers were not in good shape, and even Dave Roberts had acknowledged that his team needed better at-bats. Maybe that is what is paying off in the series against the Kansas City Royals.

On Tuesday, in the bottom of the tenth inning, Max Muncy delivered a game-winning RBI single with the bases loaded, lifting his team to a 5-4 victory. It marked the third baseman’s second clutch hit with the bases loaded in as many games. With this victory, the Dodgers have now finally secured a series after losing three back-to-back.

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The game was tied at 4-4 before this play. Then Muncy hit the ball to the gap in right-center off Lucas Erceg, scoring Ohtani. As a result, the two-way phenom became the automatic runner at second, and well, we saw how that unfolded. In fact, for the first time in a while, the Dodgers looked like a club that had its stuff together.

Seth Halvorsen, who was making his debut with the Dodgers, pitched one inning of relief. Even Evan Phillips, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, was able to strike out the first batter he faced in the eighth inning. To top that, he has gone unscored in the last six appearances he has made.

During the aforementioned inning against Phillips, Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez hit back-to-back singles to tie the game. As a result, the manager pulled the 31-year-old from pitching and instead put Jack Dreyer in. But the very next play didn’t turn out how Roberts would have wanted it to.

Andy Pages mishandled the transfer following a catch on a line drive from Carter Jensen, and that proved costly for the Dodgers as their opponents regained the lead. Dreyer then struck out Michael Massey before the Royals could do any more damage.

The LA side immediately pushed back in the bottom of the same inning with Betts’ RBI single. Edgardo Henriquez then tossed a 1-2-3 to Kansas City in the ninth, but Nate Pearson matched him with a clean bottom half of the inning for the Royals, sending the game into extra innings.

This is where Halvorsen’s inning became crucial, as he allowed 0 runs, 0 hits, and 0 errors. This gave the perfect window for the Dodgers to walk off in the bottom, and given that Shohei Ohtani started as the automatic runner, the Dodgers intentionally put runners on every base by walking Freddie Freeman and Kyle Tucker. Muncy then ended the game, driving a 2-2 fastball from Lucas Erceg into center field to bring home the winning run. And just like that, everything fell into place.

“It’s just guys coming together and being ready when called upon,” Roberts said. “It doesn’t matter who’s playing, where you hit, who’s pitching. Just find a way to win a game.”

This win happened to be their first time since July 29-30 that the clubhouse won consecutive games. For a minute there, the situation looked dire for the club that registered 60 wins the fastest this season. When the second half of the season started, they were 61-36, and currently they are 72-48.

“I think the results speak for themselves,” Muncy said. “I think one of the big things for us was trying to get everyone back focused on what’s happening today and not carrying each day over to the next one. There were a lot of us doing that, myself included, and it’s just hard to play when you’re letting the days kind of compound on you like that.”

In the NL West, the Dodgers are in the top spot, and if the two back-to-back wins are any indication, then hopefully they will bag the next series as well against the Milwaukee Brewers.