Kike Hernandez The veteran utility player had a memorable Saturday even before he stepped foot inside Dodger Stadium, kicking off the weekend with an emotional family gathering to commemorate the day he hit a record 10 years in the major leagues, a milestone that fewer than 10 percent of players reach.
“I was at home with my wife, my daughter, my parents, my two sisters and their boyfriends, and our dogs,” Hernandez said. “My wife prepared an hour-long video of all our friends back home. [in Puerto Rico] “I had so many messages from people who have influenced my career. It was definitely a great start to the day.”
Hernandez finished even better when he came in as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox and almost singlehandedly held them to no home runs. Dodgers He hit tying hits in the 9th and 10th innings, contributing to the victory.
Will Smith hit a bases-loaded single to left-center field in the bottom of the 11th to give the Dodgers a run. A dramatic 7-6 walk-off victory In front of a crowd of 48,129 at Chavez Ravine.
“It was a day of reflection,” Hernandez said after the game in the Corner locker room, his forehead still sweaty and his jersey covered in mud. “This game is so hard and this season is so long. It’s hard to sit back and appreciate what I’ve done and what the game has given me.”
There was a certain symmetry to Hernandez’s afternoon: The 32-year-old has played 7 1/2 seasons of his 11-year career with the Dodgers and 2 1/2 with the Red Sox, two teams that packed as much drama into a 3 1/2-hour, nationally televised regular-season game.
And Hernandez Kenley JansenThis is the team against whom he hit game-tying home runs in the ninth inning in both games against Los Angeles and Boston.
“It’s funny how things work out,” Hernandez said. “I’ve played for four teams, and the two teams I spent the majority of my career with are here at Dodger Stadium on the day I celebrate my tenure, so that’s pretty cool.”
Dodgers catcher Will Smith splashes water on his face as he celebrates with his teammates after hitting a walk-off hit in the 11th inning on Saturday.
(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The lead changed hands three times in the first seven innings, before Tyler O’Neill hit a two-run homer off left-hander Anthony Banda to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead heading into the seventh inning. James Outman He made a spectacular jumping catch of a ball hit by Dodgers center fielder Rob Refsnyder, crashing into the wall.
The bottom of the ninth began with a familiar scene at Chavez Ravine: former Dodgers closer Jansen came to the mound to protect a one-run lead against the team for which he recorded his first career 350th save.
Jansen threw a cut fastball to his old friend with two down and runners on second, and Hernandez, who entered the game batting .191 with a .557 on-base percentage+slugging percentage, five home runs and 15 RBIs in 71 games, smashed a 415-foot home run into left field to tie the score at 4-4. It was Jansen’s first home run against the 134 batters he has faced this season.
“I’ve played behind Kenley a lot, but only once against him when he was in Atlanta in 2022,” Hernandez said. “I ambush him on the first pitch and he breaks my bat with a two-seam fastball that goes on the warning track. The whole way back to the dugout, he’s yelling at me, ‘Keep cheating on that cutter! Keep cheating on that cutter!'”
“I’m not wondering what Kenley’s going to do because he hasn’t thrown a two-seam this year. He had me throw him a two-seam and I didn’t miss it.”
Did Janssen say anything to Hernandez this time?
“If he said it, I didn’t hear it because of the noise in the stadium and it’s been a while since I’ve done anything important in this stadium, so I was kind of numb,” Hernandez said. “But I’m sure he’ll say something tomorrow.”
The Red Sox took a 6-4 lead in the top of the 10th inning when O’Neill hit a two-run homer to center field off Dodgers closer Evan Phillips. Phillips was one of several relief pitchers who blew a five-run lead in the ninth inning in a walk-off loss to the Detroit Tigers in the penultimate game before the All-Star break.
The Dodgers fought back in the bottom of the 10th when Andy Page hit a one-out double to left field off Red Sox right-hander Greg Weisert, bringing home Freddie Freeman, who became the automatic runner on second base in the inning, to cut the lead to 6-5.
With the bases loaded in the eighth, Miguel Rojas struck out after hitting a check-swing comeback ball to the mound to start a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning. Hernandez came up to bat and hit a sweeper on the first pitch for a strike, then swung and missed on the second for strike 2. But Hernandez worked the count to a full and then hit a 96 mph sinker to center field for a single to tie the game at 6-6.
Hernandez was called at second base on a throw to end the 10th inning, but his big day wasn’t over yet.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith celebrates after hitting a walk-off hit in the 11th inning of Saturday’s 7-6 win over the Red Sox.
(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“I’ve never faced him, but he’s a very unconventional right-handed pitcher with a crossfire style of delivery,” Hernandez said of Weissert. “After I was down 2-0, it was just about slowing everything down, taking it one pitch at a time and telling myself that.”
“It was hard to stay confident, but I told myself throughout the at-bat that there’s no one better in these situations. Just get the ball, don’t chase it, don’t force it. Get a hit or a walk. That 3-2 ball was just there, so I hit a liner up the middle.”
Relief pitcher Blake Treinen got out of a runner-and-no-out jam in the top of the 11th, striking out Dominic Smith, getting Sedan Raffaella to hit for a pop-out at first and pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida to hit for a pop-out at third, giving the Dodgers a chance to win.
“That was big,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You inherited runners on base, and it’s hard to get out of there with no runs scored.”
Pinch hitter Cavan Biggio laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance automatic runner Hernandez to third base in the top of the 11th inning. Chris Taylor was walked and Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Boston used an outfielder in addition to its five-man infield, but Will Smith smashed a ball into the Red Sox’s absence to give the Dodgers their second straight comeback victory.
“It was a really fun game with a lot of offensive and defensive play, a home run, some big hits at key moments,” Smith said. “I would have liked to have ended the game a little quicker, but we hung in there and got the win.”
Dodgers left-hander Justin Wroblewski, in his third major league start, pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, striking out five and walking two, while relief pitcher Brent Honeywell, making his second appearance for the Dodgers, held the opposing team scoreless through the eighth and ninth innings.
Gavin Lux hit a solo home run in the second inning, and the Dodgers scored two runs in the sixth on a double by Ohtani, a walk by Freeman, a run-hit by Teoscar Hernandez and a sacrifice fly by Paige to take a 3-2 lead.
But after the game, it was Kiké Hernández who led his teammates in a champagne toast in the clubhouse, a tradition started by Coach Roberts a few years ago to honor players who reach 10 years with the team.
“My family really made sure I enjoyed today this morning,” Hernandez said. “I had two big moments in the game and I’m happy to get the win. It made this a special day for me.”
