NEW YORK — Kiké Hernández modified his Dodger Stadium walkup music to Dangerous Bunny’s “Mr. October” when the calendar flipped, and it appears properly inside his proper. How else to clarify how a participant who has constructed a pleasant profession as a utility man yearly transforms into an October monster — one who now stands tied in postseason residence runs with Babe Ruth?
Dodgers famous person Mookie Betts has given up attempting to clarify it.
“I don’t know. I’m watching it the identical means you’re,” Betts mentioned after Hernández belted yet one more huge residence run in yet one more Dodgers postseason win, this an 8-0 conquer the Mets in Recreation 3 of the Nationwide League Championship Collection at Citi Area.
“There’s sure guys,” mentioned one other Dodger, Max Muncy, “which can be in a position to carry out in sure moments, and he’s undoubtedly one in all them. He’s all the time been one in all them. We now have a number of guys on this workforce who match that class, however Kiké is particular in October and that’s why you have got him on this workforce. That’s why he’s right here. That’s why he’s within the lineup. You anticipate him to do stuff, and he goes out and does it.”
Earlier than Shohei Ohtani hit a mammoth residence run within the eighth inning that continued his unimaginable run of success with runners in scoring place, and earlier than Muncy went deep within the ninth to tie Corey Seager and Justin Turner for probably the most postseason residence runs as a Dodger in franchise historical past, Hernández delivered arguably the largest hit of the night time to show a two-run lead right into a four-run cushion.
For an additional hitter, it may need appeared an unlikely spot. Fly balls hit to left discipline on Wednesday night time have been knocked down by the wind, because the Mets’ Pete Alonso found within the third inning — as did Francisco Lindor within the fifth. And Hernández’s homer within the sixth got here off a splitter from Mets reliever Reed Garrett, who entered the night time having thrown 289 splitters this 12 months with out giving up a house run.
Within the sixth inning, Hernández bucked the chances on each counts.
“I assumed it was going to be means gone,” Hernández mentioned. “I noticed [Mets left fielder Brandon] Nimmo attempt to soar for it, and I type of panicked for half a second. However I do not care if there was an inside-the-parker — a homer is a homer.”
Mentioned Garrett: “I wasn’t attempting to throw it thigh excessive. I did not execute the pitch, and he put a very good swing on it. He is a very good hitter. He simply put a very good swing on a foul pitch. … He is made some good swings and had some nice postseason success.”
That’s placing it mildly. Hernández now has 15 residence runs in a postseason profession that features alternatives with the Dodgers and Pink Sox over 19 collection way back to 2015. Sure, that’s as many postseason residence runs as Babe Ruth, albeit in 57 extra plate appearances.
However Hernández does his finest impression of The Babe each October. Within the common season, he’s homered as soon as each 29.1 at-bats. Within the postseason, that frequency improves to as soon as each 13.3 at-bats. Within the postseason, 26.8 p.c of his hits are residence runs, in comparison with 14.5 p.c within the common season.
Consequently, Hernández is an unlikely member of this record of MLB’s energetic leaders in postseason homers:
1. Jose Altuve: 272. Kyle Schwarber: 213-T. George Springer: 193-T. Alex Bregman: 193-T. Corey Seager: 196. Carlos Correa: 187. Bryce Harper: 178. Kiké Hernández: 159. Aaron Decide: 1410-T. Justin Turner: 1310-T. Giancarlo Stanton: 1310-T. Max Muncy: 13
“I believe some individuals simply actually just like the second,” mentioned Dodgers backup catcher Austin Barnes. “He’s one of many individuals who can focus and bear down in these moments. He needs the second. I believe that’s a expertise and a ability.”
“When Kiké hit the house run, you would hear a pin drop within the stadium,” Muncy mentioned. “Once you’re on the highway, something you are able to do to take the power out of the stadium is gigantic. That’s undoubtedly what occurred tonight.”
Muncy completed the job within the ninth, when he etched his title subsequent to former teammates Seager and Turner within the Dodgers report books. All of them hit 13 residence runs for L.A.
“These are two actually nice gamers, actually nice Dodgers,” Muncy mentioned. “Corey Seager virtually single-handedly gained us a World Collection [in 2020]. It’s undoubtedly a blessing to be on a workforce that lets you have these alternatives to succeed in these numbers.”
