MLB
Kiké Hernández Hits 17th Career Postseason Homer, One Shy of Mr. October
A two-run shot off Chris Sale in the 4th powered the Dodgers past the Braves 3-1 in NLDS Game 3. Hernández now sits one homer behind Reggie Jackson.
October belongs to Kiké Hernández. It always has.
The Dodgers utility man launched a two-run homer off Braves ace Chris Sale in the 4th inning Tuesday night, breaking a scoreless tie and carrying Los Angeles to a 3-1 win in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park. The Dodgers now lead the series 2-1.
It was Hernández's 17th career postseason home run, moving him into a tie for 18th all-time alongside Aaron Judge, David Ortiz and Jim Thome. He sits one behind the original Mr. October, Reggie Jackson.
The wildest October stat in baseball
According to OptaSTATS, Hernández is the only player in MLB history with at least 100 career home runs to hit 10 percent or more of them in the postseason. His rate sits at 11.3 percent: 17 of his 151 career homers have come in October.
For a player with a .706 career regular-season OPS, that transformation is absurd. His postseason OPS is .826.
"I was going to be ready, whenever Doc put my name in the lineup," Hernández said after the game.
"That's probably something that, once I'm done playing, I'm going to look back and be really proud of my career because of how I find myself each and every year in October."
How it happened
Hernández's blast came in his second at-bat against Sale. Freddie Freeman homered two batters later to make it 3-0, and the 2-0 lead Hernández created held up behind seven dominant innings from Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Sale and Hernández have history: Sale struck out Hernández to close out the 2018 World Series for Boston. Eight years later, Kiké got his.
What it means
The Dodgers are one win from the NLCS and the three-peat chase stays alive. Hernández, who missed most of the season after elbow surgery and a torn oblique and was only activated at the end of July, is once again the Dodgers' October X-factor.
Betting angle
The Dodgers have taken control of this series behind their pitching. Yamamoto dealing for seven innings against a Braves lineup that managed one run is the story. For Game 4, the Dodgers are the deserved favorite at home with a chance to close it out, and the under has value as long as this pitching keeps rolling.
Key Facts
- Final: Dodgers 3, Braves 1 (NLDS Game 3)
- Series: Dodgers lead 2-1 in best-of-five
- The homer: Two-run shot off Chris Sale, 4th inning, 17th career postseason HR
- History: One behind Reggie Jackson (18); only player ever with 10%+ of career homers in October (min. 100)
- Next: Game 4 in Los Angeles, Dodgers can clinch
Via NY Post, theScore, MLB.com