Max Muncy goes after Dodgers critics who called them underdogs vs. Padres

Well, maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers have what it takes to win in the postseason after all. Sorry for doubting you, LA. But you did make things interesting and the Padres really seemed to be in your head. Can you blame us?

Alas, the Dodgers totally shut down the Padres offense in Game 5 of the NLDS and are now headed to the NLCS, where the New York Mets await. Before that series starts though, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy has a message for everyone who didn't believe in them.

"What was it, 80 percent of the f---ing experts said we were going to lose? F--- those guys. We know who we are. We're the f---ing best team in baseball, and we're out there to prove it," Muncy said, according to ESPN. He doubled down on that message in the Dodgers clubhouse, delivering a very strong, champagne-drenched message.

Dodgers silence critics with shutout of Padres

When Max Muncy said after Game 3 that the Padres feed off the Petco Park crowd, he meant it as a pejorative, and everybody rolled their eyes. But after Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Dodgers bullpen utterly silenced the Padres offense in Game 5, holding San Diego to two hits and zero runs, it appears that Max Muncy may have been onto something.

LA's offense wasn't stellar on Friday night, scoring just two runs on two solo home runs from Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández, but those big knocks were plenty on a night that Dodgers pitching was locked in, forcing weak contact from the Padres star-studded lineup.

From an impartial fan, this series was everything you could wish for. Both stadiums were deafeningly loud, the teams clearly don't like each other, there were big plays from both sides and plenty of trash talk along the way. This is what playoff baseball should be, always!

What's in store for Dodgers vs. Mets?

Could Dodgers versus Mets be as fun as Dodgers versus Padres? Can any series be as fun as Dodgers versus Padres? There was clear animosity from the start and it carried all the way through a thrilling series. There might not be a true "rivalry" between the Mets and Dodgers, but New York versus Los Angeles is a fun storyline no matter what the circumstances.

Plus, the storyline of "Shohei Ohtani versus Francisco Lindor" will be fun to follow throughout the series. Although Ohtani is a near-lock to win National League MVP, Lindor will more than likely finish in second place, and having the two best players in the NL facing off will lead to some... let's say spirited discussions no matter the outcome.