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Two MLB players left a divisional game Thursday night after a scary collision at first base.
Ildemaro Vargas of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers both crashed to the infield after a bang-bang play.
Muncy hit a ball down the line in the fifth inning and Vargas, seeing that pitcher Ryne Nelson wouldn’t get to the bag in time, charged toward first. Muncy beat him to the bag, but the players collided and flew through the air.
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Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy reacts to an apparent injury after colliding with Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas at first base during the fifth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on June 4, 2026. (Anna Carrington/Imagn Images)
Both lay on the field for several minutes while trainers worked on them in a hushed stadium. Muncy got up first and walked slowly toward the dugout, while Vargas got up with help and walked toward his dugout.
Muncy left with shortness of breath and was evaluated for a concussion, but avoided. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he wouldn’t play Friday against the Angels — it was already a scheduled day off — but might be available over the weekend.
Vargas suffered bruising all over his left side – his thigh, ribs and neck. X-rays were negative and he told manager Torey Lovullo he would be ready to play Friday, if necessary.
Arizona Diamondbacks athletic trainers reach for first baseman Ildemaro Vargas after a collision with Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy during the fifth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, June 4, 2026. (Anna Carrington/Imagn Images)
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Muncy told reporters he was a little banged up but will be OK.
“I really hope Vargas is okay, I sent him something,” he said. “I hope he’s okay and not too bad. But just a bad situation that felt like none of us knew which way to go.”
Vargas told reporters, through an interpreter, that his “whole body” felt like he “hit a truck.”
“This is the kind of thing you see on the baseball field when two players are lying on the dirt after trying to make a play,” Lovullo said. “It’s hard to see, but they both left the field.”
Max Muncy of the Los Angeles Dodgers collides with Ildemaro Vargas of the Arizona Diamondbacks at first base during the fifth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on June 4, 2026. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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The match marked the completion of a four-game set in Arizona that they split. Arizona salvaged the series loss with a 3-2 win after that scary moment.
