Former Red Sox infielder/outfielder helps power Dodgers to NLCS
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 11: Kiké Hernandez #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates while rounding first base on a solo home run during the second inning in game five of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
There’s something about Kiké Hernandez and October baseball.
Hernandez, who played for the Red Sox for two and a half years, hit a solo homer in the second inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team for whom he played before and after his time with Boston. That solo homer would have been enough, but just for good measure, Teoscar Hernandez added a seventh inning solo shot to send the Dodgers to a 2-0 shutout of the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the NLDS and earn a spot in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.
The homer was the 14th of Hernandez’s career in the postseason in 75 games. Asked on Fox’s postgame show about what it was about October that enabled him to perform so well, Hernandez said: “I don’t know, but I like it.”
That was true of his time with the Red Sox, too. Hernandez battled inconsistency and injuries while with the Red Sox during the regular season. But in 12 postseason games with the Red Sox in 2021, he hit five homers and posted a 1.260 OPS.
