Kiké Hernandez was enjoying a memorable Saturday before he even set foot in Dodger Stadium, as the veteran outfielder kicked off the weekend with an emotional family gathering to celebrate the day he reached 10 years of major league service, a milestone that fewer than 10 percent of players achieve.
“It was at home with my wife, my daughter, my parents, my sisters, their friends and my dogs,” Hernandez said. “My wife made an hour-long video for all my friends at home.” [in Puerto Rico] “With messages from people who have influenced my career. It was definitely a great way to start my day.”
Somehow, Hernandez managed to engineer a better ending, coming into the game against the Boston Red Sox as a replacement hitter in the seventh inning and almost single-handedly keeping the Dodgers in the game with crucial, tying hits in the ninth and 10th innings.
Then Will Smith hit a bases-loaded single to left center in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Dodgers the lead. Dramatic 7-6 playoff win In front of a sellout crowd of 48,129 people at Chavez Ravine.
“It was a day of reflection,” Hernandez said after the game, standing in his locker, his brow still sweaty and his uniform covered in dirt. “This game was so exhausting, this season was so long. It’s hard to sit back and enjoy what you did or what the game did for you.”
There was a certain consistency to Hernandez’s afternoon. The 32-year-old played seven and a half seasons of his 11-year career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and two and a half with the Red Sox, teams that each contained more drama than a regular-season game could contain, broadcast on national television for three and a half hours.
Hernandez was a teammate of Kenley Jansen, the man who hit a game-tying home run for him in the ninth inning, in both Los Angeles and Boston.
“It’s funny how it works,” Hernandez said. “I’ve played for four teams, and the two teams I’ve played for most of my career are here at Dodgers Stadium on the day I get to celebrate my inauguration. It’s really nice.”
His face fills with water as he celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the 11th inning on Saturday.
(Gina Ferrazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The teams traded the lead three times in the first seven innings, with Tyler O’Neill hitting a home run from outside the bullpen to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the seventh, an inning that began with James Oatman catching a stunning ball from Rob Refsnyder after the Dodgers center fielder hit the wall.
The bottom of the ninth inning began with a familiar scene at Chavez Ravine, as Jansen, the former Dodgers shutout, entered to protect a one-run lead against the team with which he had notched the first 350 saves of his career.
Jansen hit a 2-on-2 fastball to his old friend, and Hernandez, who came into the game with a .191 average and .557 on-base percentage plus a solid slugging percentage, five home runs and 15 RBIs in 71 games, hit a 415-foot home run to left to tie the score at 4-4. It was Jansen’s first home run in the 134 batters he faced this season.
“I’ve played behind Kenley a lot, but I’ve only faced him once when he was in Atlanta in 2022,” Hernandez said. “I attacked the first ball, and he broke my bat on a two-out strike that went out to the warning track. All the way to the dugout, he was yelling at me, ‘Keep cheating to the cutter! Keep cheating to the cutter!’”
“He’s not throwing a two-swing ball this year, so there’s no mystery as to what Kenley is trying to do. He gave me one to deal with, and I didn’t miss it.”
Did Jansen say anything to Hernandez this time?
“If he had done it, I wouldn’t have heard it because the stadium was so loud, and I kind of passed out because I haven’t done anything important in this stadium in a long time,” Hernandez said. “But I’m sure he might speak tomorrow.”
The Red Sox led 6-4 in the 10th inning when O’Neill hit his second home run of the game, hitting two runs into center field off Evan Phillips, the Dodgers’ outfielder who was one of the players responsible for blowing a five-run lead in the ninth inning in a loss to the Detroit Tigers in the penultimate game before the All-Star break.
The Dodgers came back in the 10th inning. Andy Pages hit a double to left field off Red Sox right fielder Greg Weisert, scoring Freddie Freeman, who had started the inning as an automatic runner on second base, and cutting the lead to 6-5.
Miguel Rojas, who hit a rebound to the mound to start a 1-2-3 double that ended the eighth inning with the bases full, shut out his team. Hernandez, who hit a grounder on the first pitch for a strike, then hit a grounder on the second pitch for a second strike. But Hernandez got back into the count and slammed a 96-mph sinker to center for a single and a 6-6 tie.
Hernandez was taken out at second base while trying to advance a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, but his big day wasn’t over yet.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Will Smith celebrates after hitting a shutout in the 11th inning of his team’s 7-6 win over the Red Sox on Saturday.
(Gina Ferrazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“I’ve never faced him before — he’s a very erratic right-hander with a tremendous cross-over shot,” Hernandez said of Weissert. “I got down 0-2, and after that, it was just a matter of slowing things down, taking it pitch by pitch and doing a lot of self-talk.
“It was hard to stay confident, but I kept telling myself throughout the game that there’s nobody better than me in these situations. Just get the ball, don’t chase me, don’t try to do too much. All I have to do is get a hit or a pass. That ball was 3-2 there, and I hit a straight line down the middle.”
Replacement pitcher Blake Treinen gave the Dodgers a chance to win after surviving a two-out slump in the 11th inning, striking out Dominic Smith and getting Sidani Raffaella to first base and replacement hitter Masataka Yoshida to third.
“That was huge,” manager Dave Roberts said. “After you inherited the base runner, it was tough to get out of there without any runs.”
Substitute Cavan Biggio opened the 11th inning with a sacrifice bunt to advance Hernandez, the automatic hitter, to third base. Substitute Chris Taylor allowed a walk, and Shohei Otani was allowed to walk intentionally to fill the bases.
Boston brought in an outfielder instead of five infielders, but Will Smith hit the ball where the Red Sox wouldn’t to give the Dodgers their second straight win.
“There were a lot of tackles and crucial shots… It was a fun game to be involved in,” Smith said. “I wish we could have ended the game earlier, but we were able to overcome it and come away with a win.”
Dodgers left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski surrendered three hits, struck out five and allowed two walks in 4⅓ innings of his third big-league start, while replacement pitcher Brent Honeywell, in his second appearance with the Dodgers, threw scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings.
Gavin Lux hit a single in the second inning, and the Dodgers scored twice in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead when Otani hit a double, Freeman walked, Teoscar Hernandez hit an RBI single, and Paiges hit a sacrifice fly.
But when it was all over, it was Kike Hernandez who was honored by his teammates with a champagne toast at the clubhouse, a tradition Roberts started a few years ago to salute players who reach 10 years of service.
“My family did a really good job this morning making sure I enjoyed the day,” Hernandez said. “I had two big moments in the game, and I’m happy we got the win. It was a special day for me.”
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