Kiké Hernández was having a pretty memorable Saturday even before he set foot in Dodger Stadium, the veteran utility man starting the weekend with an emotional family gathering to mark the day he reached 10 years of major league service time, a milestone fewer than 10% of players achieve. "It was at home with my wife, my daughter, my parents, my two sisters and their boyfriends and my dogs," Hernández said. "My wife prepared an hourlong video of all my friends from back home [in Puerto Rico] with messages from people who have impacted my career.
It was definitely a great way to start my day." Somehow, Hernández authored an even better finish, entering the game against the Boston Red Sox as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and almost single-handedly keeping the Dodgers in it with clutch, score-tying hits in the ninth and 10th innings. Advertisement Will Smith then delivered a bases-loaded single to left-center in the bottom of the 11th to give the Dodgers a dramatic 7-6, walk-off victory in front of a rollicking crowd of 48,129 in Chavez Ravine.
"It's been a day of a lot of reflection," Hernández said at his corner locker afterward, his brow still sweaty and his uniform covered in dirt. "This game, it's such a grind, such a long season. It's hard to sit back and appreciate what you've done or what the game has done for you.
" There was a certain symmetry to Hernández's afternoon. The 32-year-old has played 71⁄2 seasons of his 11-year career with the Dodgers and 21⁄2 seasons with the Red Sox, the teams that packed about as much drama as you can fit in a 31⁄2-hour nationally televised regular-season game. And Hernández was a teammate of Kenley Jansen, the man he hit a game-tying home run off of in the ninth inning, in both Los Angeles and Boston.
"It's funny how things work," Hernández said. "I've played for four teams, and the two I played the majority of my career with are here at Dodger Stadium on the day I celebrate my tenure. It's a really beautiful.
.. Mike DiGiovanna.
