On an October day when the Dodgers bats struggled in the playoffs, two former Dodgers shined. Joc Pederson and Kike Hernandez both recorded the game winning RBI for their respective teams on Monday. Hernandez hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to eliminate the Tampa Bay Rays. Joc Pederson smacked a pinch-hit three-run homer to give the Braves a 3-0 victory over the Brewers.
Kiké Hernandez
Former Dodgers utility man Kike Hernandez left in free agency to pursue regular playing time. He has rewarded the Boston Red Sox with an electric postseason. Hernandez is batting .435 with a 1.266 OPS and a pair of home runs.
He set a Red Sox postseason record with seven straight hits. The Dodgers fan favorite went five for six in Game 2 of the ALDS with three doubles and a homer.
How are we feeling about Kíke Hernandez going off for the Red Sox this Postseason?
Are you following/rooting for Kíke and Dugie? How much do you miss Kíke in Dodger Blue?
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 10, 2021
Joc Pederson
Pederson’s three-run shot against the Brewers was another great October moment for the feast-or-famine hitter.
Seeing Joc Pederson in Joctober for another team got me feeling some type of way. ? #Dodgers
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) October 11, 2021
Joc had his highs and lows in his Dodgers days, but always produced in the playoffs. He clubbed home runs in both the Dodgers Game 4 and Game 6 World Series wins against the Houston Asterisks. Pederson would have received MVP consideration (three doubles, three home runs, and five RBI) had the Dodgers won the Series.
In the 2020 World Series, Pederson smashed a solo shot off of the Rays Tyler Glasnow in Game 5 to give the Dodgers a 3-0 in the third inning. The Dodgers would go on to win the game 4-2.
Great piece of hitting here by Joc Pederson with two strikes, going the other way on a 99 MPH fastball up and away. It was a decent enough pitch from Tyler Glasnow, but Joc just went with it and generated enough power to hit it out. pic.twitter.com/ONbBIycez0
— Positive Residual (@presidual) October 26, 2020
Pederson owns a career .886 postseason OPS compared to .794 in the regular season.
Alex Wood, Jake McGee, and Alex Verdugo
Unfortunately, two former Dodgers pitchers played big roles in the Giants 1-0 win on Monday night against Los Angeles. Lefty starter Alex Wood shut out the Dodgers through 4 2/3 innings.
Reliever Jake McGee came in in the seventh inning with two runners on to record the hold. To be fair, McGee was a few inches away from disaster had Betts line drive avoided the glove of Brandon Crawford and allowed Steven Souza Jr. to score from second.
Finally, former fan favorite Alex Verdugo is playing alongside Kiké on the Red Sox and has 7 hits in 19 at-bats (.368).
A bad night to be a Dodger. A good day to be a former Dodger.
NEXT: Clayton Kershaw Dodges Questions About Future in Los Angeles