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PHOENIX –– Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas both ran full speed to first base in the fifth inning of Thursday’s game between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
In a brutal moment that knocked both players out of the game, neither got out of the way in time to avoid a head-on collision.
With two outs in the fifth, Muncy had hit a ground ball up the line that Vargas, playing first for Arizona, fielded directly behind the bag.
Vargas tried to race to the bag himself with the ball. Muncy was charging full speed up the baseline.
They arrived at the base almost simultaneously, with Muncy getting there a half-second sooner to reach safely for a single.
It left no time for either to avoid the bone-crushing hit, one that was so violent that Muncy’s helmet and glasses both went flying.
Both Muncy and Vargas went down to the ground immediately, and stayed there for several minutes while getting checked by their teams’ respective trainers. Eventually, they each walked off under their own power. But neither even attempted to stay in the game.
While it wasn’t clear what exactly was ailing Muncy most –– he put his hands to his head, and was squinting his eyes –– the collision marks the second time in recent weeks he has been removed from a game early.
On May 22, Muncy was hit by a pitch in his right wrist that forced him to make an early exit in Milwaukee. He missed the team’s next three games after that, but avoided a stint on the injured list.
The Dodgers can only hope to be so lucky again after Thursday.
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