Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Max Muncy and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas both left Thursday's game in the fifth inning following a violent collision at first base.
Muncy crashed into Vargas as he ran through first base, sending both players to the ground. They remained down for several minutes in obvious pain while trainers tended to them.
Max Muncy and Ildemaro Vargas collided HARD into each other and are both leaving the game pic.twitter.com/Yzl28PS2L5
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 5, 2026
Despite the severity of the collision, Muncy and Vargas managed to walk off the field under their own power.
The Dodgers said Muncy left the game due to shortness of breath and to rule out the possibility of a concussion. The 35-year-old said postgame that he cleared concussion protocol despite his head being "banged up," according to Jack Harris of the California Post. He also had a cut on his nose.
Vargas suffered a bruised left thigh, rib cage, and neck, D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo said postgame. X-rays came back negative, and Vargas is being considered day-to-day.
"He was just in my office with a big smile on his face saying he felt OK," Lovullo told reporters. "Everything is a bruise as of right now. ... We feel like we dodged a bullet."
Muncy is hitting .254/.347/.513 with 14 home runs and 22 RBIs across 57 games for the Dodgers this season.
Vargas, meanwhile, is enjoying a breakout campaign in Arizona at age 34. He's slashing .283/.311/.443 with seven homers and 37 RBIs across 224 plate appearances, while splitting time between first and second base defensively.
Santiago Espinal pinch-ran for Muncy, who was credited with an infield single on the play, and scored the first run of the game moments later on Ryan Ward's RBI double. Espinal took over at third base in the bottom of the fifth.
Pavin Smith, meanwhile, entered the game in place of Vargas at first base.
The D-Backs went on to win the game 3-2 on Ketel Marte's walk-off home run.
