Max Muncy is in a mood of steamrolling his opponents in 2026, slashing .254/.347/.513 with 14 home runs. And the Arizona Diamondbacks’ first baseman Ildemaro Vargas experienced the impact of coming in between the dominance of 215 lbs Muncy on Thursday. They both had a nasty collision at first base, forcing both to exit the game. Serious concussions were avoided, but Muncy couldn’t escape the fans’ wrath.

“Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas collided HARD into each other and are both leaving the game,” Talkin’ Baseball shared via X.

In the fifth inning, Muncy was at the plate with two outs facing the D-Backs’ starter Ryne Nelson. He hit a grounder that went straight to first base along the foul line. Nelson didn’t cover the first base, which forced Vargas to run to the base with Muncy running to beat him in the race. Both came face-to-face and collided head-on at the bag. Muncy’s helmet went for a fly, and Vargas was thrown off.

Both collapsed on the ground and stayed there for at least 5 minutes. They were attended by their respective medical staff and managers. From the footage, it seemed like Vargas was the worst hit among the two, but Max Muncy was seen bleeding from his nose. “It felt like I was hit by a truck,” Vargas said. “My whole body hurts.”

While neither was seriously hurt, both were taken off the field and reportedly will miss their next game. “Max Muncy left the game with shortness of breath and to rule out a concussion,” the Los Angeles Dodgers announced via X. For Muncy, this was the second injury in the last few weeks. Earlier, he was hit by a pitch against the Brewers off a 95.5 mph pitch. Now, as the Dodgers are going against the Angels next, he is likely to miss the first game on Friday.

“I’ll be alright. Little banged up, but we’ll be alright… The head got banged up a little bit. I think it was my glasses, maybe, that cut my nose. Not entirely sure. And then just as I was on the ground, I had shortness of breath. Once I was able to get my breath back, I was able to get off the field. But yeah, we’re doing ok right now,” Muncy said after the game.

The collision between Muncy and the D-Backs’ 34-year-old first baseman was a typical NFL show that came out of a diamond. “They were going to fly. And at some point, they were going to collide. It was awesome for ‘NFL (Films) Presents,’ you know what I mean?” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told USA TODAY. However, while the collision may have saved both Muncy and Vargas, it couldn’t save the Dodgers veteran from the fans’ wrath as they blamed Muncy for the collision.

Max Muncy takes the blame for the collision

For many fans, Max Muncy intentionally went straight even after reaching first base, clashing with Vargas. “Muncy has always been dirty. Instead of staying to the right, he crosses over to the left, looking for that contact,” one fan said. “Why is Muncy running into the field of play after touching the bag instead of out of the line into foul territory? Looks intentional to a degree or poor decision making,” another added.

As per the footage, Muncy was seen going straight by the foul line even after covering the base. However, the time duration was so limited that Muncy might not have gotten to deviate from his running length with such speed at the last moment. Moreover, Muncy extended his arms to avoid a head-on collision; otherwise, the injuries could have been worse. Even the D-Backs’ manager agreed that Vargas could have slid into the base to avoid the collision.

“I think an active and accomplished first baseman, somebody like Freddie Freeman,” USA Today quoted Lovullo. “Would slide feet first and give way to the runner who’s probably going to be standing up. Runners are taught not to slide into (first) head-first.”

Some fans even blamed Muncy for seeking sympathy. “Muncy just fell because he decked the guy. Wanted sympathy,” one user remarked. “How does no one see that he literally trucks him and pushes him, then tries to act like he’s hurt?” Another agreed.

Varge weighs 202 lbs while Muncy is measured at 215 lbs. And with how Muncy came down sprinting, it was obvious anything comes in between would get thrown off, and Vargas was no different. Although Muncy took time to take the ground, his bleeding nose proved his injury. “Pitcher not covering created a situation. Thought it was foul apparently,” for a few, Nelson is also to be blamed.

It was on Nelson to cover first base and take the throw from Vargas. It would have avoided the collision, and Muncy was confirmed out. “I failed to do my job in a big spot,” Nelson acknowledged his error. However, the story ended well with both saved from any serious injury, reportedly waved white flags to each other. Both the D-Backs and Dodgers would just hope to get back their men as soon as possible.