Dodgers’ Max Muncy makes feelings clear on Tatsuya Imai’s bold “take them down” challenge to the World Series champions

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy shared his reaction after learning Tatsuya Imai's bold reaction against back-to-back World Series champions during his free agency.

Imai has taken a different approach than his predecessor, and he is straight out calling the Dodgers, which has become the new home of several top aces coming out of Japan, like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

"Of course, I’d enjoy playing alongside [players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki], but winning against a team like that and becoming a world champion would be the most valuable thing in my life," Imai said via MLB.com. "If anything, I’d rather take them down."

On Tuesday, Muncy appeared on The Foul Territory, where he shared his honest feelings about Imai's bold reaction, saying it is common among all pitchers wanting to take the Dodgers down.

"To be honest, it's no different than any other starting pitcher out there where they all want to take us down," Muncy said. "I haven't looked into this guy at all. I don't know what his stuff is, but I'm sure he is amazing, as we've seen a lot of the Japanese pitchers that have come over have been extremely good. Look at the guys on our staff.

"Every pitcher that's not on our team is saying the same thing: they want to take us down, they wanna be the one to beat us. That's what makes it fun to go out there and play for the Dodgers. You're gonna get everyone's best every single night."

Tatsuya Imai taking a different course than his predecessors

Over the last two years, every big Japanese ace has gone or gravitated towards the Dodgers because of several reasons, including fame, familiarity, and a healthy time difference with Japan.

However, instead of already chasing a successful and dominating the franchise, Tatsuya Imai is looking to join the team that can help him take down his fellow Japanese stars on the West Coast.

The San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies have emerged as competitive rivals against the Dodgers. So, if Imai wants to join a team, it could be one of them.