$24M Dodgers star on receiving end of racial abuse from fan after slow start to 2025

Modified Apr 25, 2025 07:35 GMT

MLB: Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers - Source: Imagn — $24M Dodgers star on receiving end of racist fan fury after slow start to 2025 - Source: Imagn

LA Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy has had a slow start to the 2025 MLB season. The two-time World Series champion is struggling to find his form at the plate and has been error-prone on the defensive end.

Muncy, who is in the last year of his two-year, $24 million extension that he signed after the 2023 season, was targeted by a fan after the two-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday.

As the Dodgers players exited Wrigley Field to board the team bus after Game 2, Muncy received angry racist comments from a Dodgers fan. Muncy stared down the individual from inside the team bus before his support staff persuaded him to avoid a confrontation and take his seat.

Take a look at the video here:

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The Cubs defeated LA by a slender margin in both those games, completing a series sweep against the champions.

Max Muncy has been struggling at the plate this season

Muncy has a .178 batting average, with no home runs, four RBIs, and a .529 OPS in 23 games this season. He has registered only 13 hits in 73 at-bats and has been struck out 31 times.

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Muncy made his Dodgers debut in 2018 and has been a mainstay at third base while adding much-needed depth to their batting lineup. Before that, Muncy played with the Oakland Athletics for two seasons in 2015 and 2016.

He was left out of the Dodgers lineup in the series finale against the Cubs on Wednesday. He served as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 in the 7-6 defeat.

Despite his struggles at the plate, all of Muncy's hits in the 2025 MLB campaign have been extra-base hits. The Dodgers will hope the two-time All-Star can string up some consistent at-bats in the coming days and find his rhythm at the plate.

LA will kick off a three-game series at home against the Pirates on Friday.

About the author

Karan has been a baseball sports betting expert, analyst and content strategist at Sportskeeda since 2022. He holds a Master's degree in Sports Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and worked with the VCU Rams baseball team as a trackman analyst. He started following the sport at 18, watching postseason on television.

Karan is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers owing to their successful history in the sport, and their consistent performances at the highest level. He admires Mookie Betts’ on-field defensive and offensive prowess, along with his off-field charitable exploits, while Bruce Bochy is his favorite coach.

The Mets’ miraculous rally from a two-run deficit in the 1986 World Series Game 6 in the bottom of the 10th inning despite being two outs and two strikes down is his all-time favorite baseball moment.

Karan’s strengths are player profiling and technical deep dives, for which he always refers to reliable sources such as the social media handles of the best MLB analysts.

When not strategizing, he likes to read, listen to music, go for a run, and watch sit-coms.

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Edited by Dipayan Moitra