Red Sox
“The fact that we don’t give anything [expletive]”.
Kiké Hernández was pretty excited during and after the Dodgers’ Game 5 win in the NLDS. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Kiké Hernández was the surprise hero of the Dodgers’ 2-0 Game 5 win over the Padres in the NLDS, helping Los Angeles reach the NLCS.
The former Red Sox utilityman hit a solo home run in the second inning that gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead at the time. His home run celebration went viral, but that wasn’t the only thing Hernández did Friday that took the internet by storm.
After the victory, Hernández spoke with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports in an on-court interview. With the Dodgers struggling to get past the NLDS the past two seasons, Rosenthal asked Hernández how this season’s Los Angeles team was different from previous ones.
“Are we live?” Hernández asked Rosenthal after a brief thought.
“We’re live,” Rosenthal responded.
“The fact that we don’t give anything [expletive]” Hernández told Rosenthal.
There was a brief pause as Hernández smirked.
“Yeah, thanks, Ken,” Hernández said before the interview ended as he walked to celebrate with his Dodgers teammates.
Hernández’s interview mostly made people laugh on social media, but some weren’t fans of it.
“Kiké Hernandez. No classes. Even in victory. » Boston Globe » wrote columnist Dan Shaughnessy in an article on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Ask Fox’s Ken Rosenthal, ‘Are we live?’ Assured he’s live, he drops an F-Bomb with a big smile. What a guy.
Regardless of what people think of Hernández’s interview, he helped the Dodgers advance to the NLCS after a relatively lousy regular season at the plate. He hit .229 with 12 home runs and a .654 OPS in 126 regular season games. Hernández was better in the NLDS, going 3-for-9 at the plate in a much smaller sample size.
Still, this season’s NLDS wasn’t the first time Hernandez rose to the occasion in the postseason. Red Sox fans probably remember the five home runs he hit in the 2021 postseason, including a grand slam in Game 2 of the ALCS. He also hit a sacrifice fly to secure an ALDS victory for the Red Sox against the Rays.
In 75 career playoff games, Hernández hit .277 with 14 home runs and an .899 OPS. So when Hernández took the podium, a reporter naturally asked what it was about October that gave him some of his best moments at the plate. Hernández gave another memorable quote.
“I love Halloween,” Hernández said with a smirk.
Teoscar Hernández – who wanted to sign with the Red Sox in the offseason but the club didn’t offer him enough years – hit the Dodgers’ other homer that gave them a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning.
Meanwhile, former Red Sox star Mookie Betts played a big role in the Dodgers’ series victory. While he was hitless in Game 5, he homered in Games 3 and 4. Before his hot streak at the plate, Betts went hitless in his 22 previous postseason at-bats and hadn’t hit a home run in 16 straight. playoff games.
The Dodgers will face the Mets in Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday.
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