Well, he’s done again, just as he seems to do every season right about this time. Dodgers utility infielder/outfielder Kiké Hernández has absolutely exploded at the plate – again.
A bit dramatic, you say? Check this out: The extremely popular 34-year-old San Juan, Puerto Rico native, who was drafted in the sixth round in 2009 by the Houston Astros out of the American Military Academy in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico and traded to the Dodgers in December of 2014, entered play on Saturday having gone 5 for 18 (.278) over his previous seven games, with two home runs, six RBIs, and five runs scored. With his sudden offensive surge, Kiké now has 10, 35, and 30 of each respectively in the 92 regular-season games he has appeared this season, with one more remaining against the American League West first-place Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Sunday’s 2025 regular-season finale.
“I’m just enjoying the last three starts, you know, consistent playing time,” Hernández told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson following the Dodgers 5-3 win over the Mariners on Saturday. “So, I think it’s the first time all year I started against three straight righties, so then when Freddie (Freeman) was down, so, um, yeah, I mean, it’s a little easier to keep your timing in check when you’re getting four ABs a day,” he added.
(SportsNet LA)
It was Kiké’s clutch two-run double into the left field corner with no outs in the top of the ninth that turned a 3-3 tie into a 5-3 Dodgers lead and eventual final score.
(SportsNet LA)
Hernández has consistently been an above-average late-season – and postseason – performer, with a very good postseason OPS of .875 OPS; this compared to his lower (but still decent) regular season OPS of .708. That said, he is very well aware that the postseason is an entirely different animal.
“We needed to finish the season strong,” Hernández told reporters postgame on Saturday. “October is all about whoever’s playing the best baseball at the end of the season, and that’s a really good (Mariners) team over there,” he added.
Keep on clutching, Kiké!
Play Ball!
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