{"id":113561,"date":"2024-10-13T05:14:11","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T22:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=113561"},"modified":"2024-10-13T05:14:11","modified_gmt":"2024-10-12T22:14:11","slug":"kike-hernandez-delivers-again-as-dodgers-advance-hes-not-afraid-of-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=113561","title":{"rendered":"Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez delivers again as Dodgers advance: \u2018He\u2019s not afraid of the moment\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>LOS ANGELES \u2014 With the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"106\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/dodgers\/\">Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> on the brink and their season at risk of yet another early postseason exit, it was <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"dmN3FDmi5nUtz5aS\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/kike-hernandez-dmN3FDmi5nUtz5aS\/\">Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> who spoke. As a young role player for a perennial contenders years ago, Hern\u00e1ndez was known as a promising goofball whose game flashed as much as his jokes. He was the type of \u201cglue guy\u201d who helped the Dodgers of the late 2010s form into a juggernaut.<\/p>\n<p>Hern\u00e1ndez left and tried making his way as an everyday player before returning last July to a familiar place. Free agency this winter issued a harsh judgment on him, with Hern\u00e1ndez not signing with Los Angeles until weeks into spring training. His $4 million contract was a drop in the bucket during the Dodgers\u2019 billion-dollar offseason. For months, Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s production floundered and his role evolved.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, the October version of Hern\u00e1ndez always transforms. Twice, Hern\u00e1ndez has clinched this franchise a pennant with one swing of the bat. When the Dodgers brought him back again, it was with that version of Hern\u00e1ndez they had in mind.<\/p>\n<p>Through the first three games in this National League Division Series, Hern\u00e1ndez didn\u2019t start once. He didn\u2019t play at all in Game 3, when the Dodgers fell into a 2-1 deficit against the <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"115\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/padres\/\">San Diego Padres<\/a> and put another promising season in jeopardy of an early ending.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5838203\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-5838203 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/12022421\/GettyImages-2178027637-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/12022421\/GettyImages-2178027637-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/12022421\/GettyImages-2178027637-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/12022421\/GettyImages-2178027637-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/12022421\/GettyImages-2178027637-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2024\/10\/12022421\/GettyImages-2178027637-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"table-cell-span\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez pushed back on the scouting report and looked for a fastball from Yu Darvish, which proved wise. (Harry How \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Hern\u00e1ndez gathered a group of MVPs, All-Stars and top prospects and let them have it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is our one opportunity,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recalled Hern\u00e1ndez saying. \u201cHe was just basically putting everybody on blast and seeing what they\u2019re made of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The key, <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"40qIanIFo3PVjfGr\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/mookie-betts-40qIanIFo3PVjfGr\/\">Mookie Betts<\/a> said, \u201cwas to just keep fighting.\u201d The Padres had orchestrated a stress test against a Dodgers club beleaguered by injury. San Diego had irritated these Dodgers and pushed them to their edge. Now was their time to remember what got them to the best record in baseball.<\/p>\n<p>The message boiled down simply.<\/p>\n<p><em>F\u2014\u00a0 \u2019em all.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Three nights later, a shirtless Hern\u00e1ndez imbibed on Korbel and Budweiser in a madhouse of his creation.<\/p>\n<p>October Kik\u00e9 had emerged again, putting the Dodgers ahead with one swing and a lead they wouldn\u2019t surrender. A 2-0 Dodgers victory in Game 5 only furthered the legacy of one of this franchise\u2019s greatest postseason protagonists. A comeback from a 2-1 deficit was complete. A best-of-seven bout against the upstart <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"110\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/team\/mets\/\">New York Mets<\/a> awaits in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5838100\/2024\/10\/12\/dodgers-mets-2024-nlcs-preview-predictions\/\">National League Championship Series.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Consecutive October debacles had haunted the Dodgers. Another threatened the very foundation of what this expensive, talented assemblage of players would be remembered for. They committed $1.4 billion just to win fewer games than they had last season. A 2-1 deficit seemed destined for a familiar ending.<\/p>\n<p>They survived.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis team,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said in a television interview, \u201cdoesn\u2019t give a f\u2014.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe may be the team captain of that team,\u201d Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.<\/p>\n<p>A ballclub that embodied his mantra is now eight wins away from a championship.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Ahead of the greatest night of his baseball life, seven years ago, Hern\u00e1ndez visualized. Previous October failures had gnawed at him. Old at-bats lingered in his mind. With the 2017 Dodgers within a game of clinching a berth into the World Series, Hern\u00e1ndez focused on positive thoughts. What he was going to see. What he was going to say when he came through.<\/p>\n<p>He slugged three home runs that night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t looked back since then,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said. The routine stuck. He visualized before Game 4 on Wednesday, when he earned his first start of the series and logged a pair of hits. Thursday night, ahead of a winner-take-all fifth game, he visualized again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept telling myself, they brought you here for a reason,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cThey brought you here to play in October. I wanted to come back to make a run with this team because I really want to have a parade.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He echoed the bravado when speaking to Friedman on the field before the game, telling the club\u2019s architect, \u201cI\u2019m going to win you this game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And as the club\u2019s hitting coaches started a meeting to break down the club\u2019s plan of attack against <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"m6FLQGOClkXlGy2y\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/yu-darvish-m6FLQGOClkXlGy2y\/\">Yu Darvish<\/a>, Hern\u00e1ndez spoke again. Darvish\u2019s array of pitches can be mesmerizing. \u201cCrafty,\u201d <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"PYXhWEdNdM6bQVDP\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/shohei-ohtani-PYXhWEdNdM6bQVDP\/\">Shohei Ohtani<\/a> said this week. \u201cHe\u2019s got like 20 different pitches, 10 different pitching styles,\u201d <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"UtZm6OF6t2ZOSrRb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/max-muncy-UtZm6OF6t2ZOSrRb\/\">Max Muncy<\/a> said. The Dodgers had sought to sit and be mindful of Darvish\u2019s countless off-speed offerings, waiting for a mistake and knowing that an opportunity with traffic on the bases could emerge.<\/p>\n<p>The scenario had played out in the second inning of Game 2 when the Dodgers loaded the bases with no one out. They got just one run in the inning, as Darvish completed seven frames in a blowout victory.<\/p>\n<p>To counter in Game 5, Hern\u00e1ndez suggested he wanted to look for a fastball. There were too many off-speed pitches to account for.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were pretty strong with their feelings about disagreeing with me,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/streamable.com\/m\/enrique-hernandez-s-solo-home-run-x5069?partnerId=web_video-playback-page_video-share\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He wouldn\u2019t have to wait long for what he was looking for. Darvish threw Hern\u00e1ndez a first-pitch fastball over the plate in his first at-bat.<\/p>\n<p>Hern\u00e1ndez crushed it. A sold-out Dodger Stadium roared to life. Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s 14th career postseason home run may have been his most predictable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s not afraid of the moment,\u201d hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said. \u201cHe\u2019s here. He prepares. He\u2019s got confidence through his preparation and he trusts it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKik\u00e9 hitting a homer and making big plays is probably the least surprising thing of the night,\u201d Gavin Lux said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s special,\u201d Anthony Banda said. \u201cHe\u2019s built for October.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome guys are built for the moment,\u201d Muncy said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what it is, but he\u2019s got it.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>The second-half surge that saved Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s season started with a recommendation. Mart\u00edn Maldonado, the longtime big-league catcher and Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s teammate with team Puerto Rico in past World Baseball Classics, mentioned during a summer conversation that he and several teammates required glasses for vision issues not picked up in a typical annual physical exam in spring training. He pressed Hern\u00e1ndez to get checked out, too.<\/p>\n<p>It proved worthwhile: Hern\u00e1ndez was diagnosed with astigmatism in his right eye, and fitted for glasses he\u2019s worn ever since.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t really realize that I was seeing the shape of the pitch instead of the spin, rotation of the pitch,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said last month. \u201cI don\u2019t really know how long it\u2019s been like that. \u2026 It was such a little thing that you don\u2019t really notice in your everyday life. It was hard to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez: \u201cWe didn\u2019t come here to win the NL West. We came here to win the World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FabianArdaya\/status\/1844838341528682984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>They\u2019ve given him a new frame of mind, and a fresh lens on what was amounting to another frustrating season. Before the All-Star break and his decision to wear glasses full-time on the field, Hern\u00e1ndez hit just .191, floundering against breaking balls in particular. After, he hit .274, recapturing his finest form with an .821 OPS in September as he reinserted himself into the Dodgers\u2019 plans.<\/p>\n<p>Little did they realize how much that would matter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why you sort of get through the regular season with Kik\u00e9,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cAnd then when you get through that, you know you\u2019re going to get the best player.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>A defiant chorus echoed amidst the bubbly and cigar smoke. As his teammates chanted his name and Hern\u00e1ndez sprayed, a playlist played Kendrick Lamar\u2019s diss track once, then twice.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThey not like us.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The failures of past Octobers have stuck to these Dodgers, particularly when pressed against a familiar, talented division foe in the star-filled Padres. Perhaps it is the wounds that have bonded them.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"fJdyR59AnffvvTIg\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/freddie-freeman-fJdyR59AnffvvTIg\/\">Freddie Freeman<\/a> took 14 at-bats during this series despite a badly sprained ankle that would\u2019ve otherwise landed him on the injured list. <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"5KI9UI6xyQX7yMxe\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/miguel-rojas-5KI9UI6xyQX7yMxe\/\">Miguel Rojas<\/a> didn\u2019t play the final two games of this series because he aggravated a torn adductor he\u2019s played with for months. Their pitching has been decimated by injuries. A division race hardened them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a lot of \u2018F U\u2019 in us,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cWe have a lot of people, a bunch of grown men, that they want to win at all costs no matter how it comes, no matter how it looks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Facing elimination paled in comparison. Jokes filtered through the visiting clubhouse at Petco Park before Wednesday\u2019s Game 4. The contested conversations ahead of a winner-take-all Game 5 included rounds of mini-golf.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone just said, don\u2019t worry about it,\u201d Muncy said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to win tonight. \u2026 We were going to win the game, no doubt about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Actually doing so, Muncy admitted, brought relief. <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"Mn2DuOO1XjTAVRxm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/teoscar-hernandez-Mn2DuOO1XjTAVRxm\/\">Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> added a home run of his own to Kik\u00e9\u2019s in the seventh. Behind <a class=\"ath_autolink\" data-id=\"uEa3qZwvkjN51F4T\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/mlb\/player\/yoshinobu-yamamoto-uEa3qZwvkjN51F4T\/\">Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> and a parade of Dodgers relievers, they shut out the Padres for the second consecutive game, wrapping up the series with 24 consecutive scoreless innings.<\/p>\n<p>As he savored the celebration, Muncy took Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s message a step further.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know who we are,\u201d Muncy said. \u201cWe\u2019re the f\u2014ing best team in baseball and we\u2019re out there to prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>(Photo of Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez: Sean M. Haffey \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5838183\/2024\/10\/12\/dodgers-kike-hernandez-nlds-padres\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LOS ANGELES \u2014 With the Los Angeles Dodgers on the brink and their season at risk of yet another early postseason exit, it was Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez who spoke. As a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=113561\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113561\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}