Up the list, Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez climbs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman hit his 17th career postseason home run Tuesday, Oct. 17, leaving him tied for 18th overall with sluggers Aaron Judge and David Ortiz.
Behold all 17 of Hernandez's blasts.
Yet the feat by the 35-year-old Dodger is likely underappreciated.
It wasn’t just a home run Hernandez hit. It was a two-run blast that helped the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-1, in Game 3 of the best-of-five NLDS as Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead.
On the all-time playoff homer list, Hernandez needs just one more to catch Reggie Jackson, the legendary New York Yankees slugger who earned the nickname “Mr. October.’’ Would Hernandez earn the right to borrow the moniker and any home run magic that
comes with it?
He’s swinging for the fences on a star-studded list led by Manny Ramirez with 26 postseason home runs and populated by Derek Jeter (20), Albert Pujols (19) and Mickey Mantle (18).
Hernandez looks like he crashed the party, with Hernandez the only utilityman on the list of select sluggers.
But perhaps most impressive of all for Hernandez is this: During the regular season, he has averaged a home run every 28.4 at-bats. During the postseason, by contrast, he has averaged a home run every 17.5 at-bats.
This is his 10th season with the Dodgers. Of his 17 postseason homers, he hit 12 for the Dodgers. Perhaps his most memorable was a three-homer game in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS that helped power the Dodgers past the Cubs, 11-1, and advance into the World Series.
Hernandez hit his other five playoff homers for the Boston Red Sox 2021. He has three World Series championships, all with the Dodgers (2020, 2024, 2025).
Kiké Hernandez further distinguished as fan favorite
Clutch hitting isn’t the only reason Hernandez is a fan favorite with the Dodgers.
In June 2025, after ICE raids hit Los Angeles, Hernandez was the only Dodgers player to address the matter publicly. It was a significant act given the large percentage of Dodgers fans who are Latino.
“I may not be Born & Raised, but this city adopted me as one of their own,” Hernández, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, wrote on social media. “I am saddened and infuriated by what’s happening in our country and our city. Los Angeles and Dodger fans have welcomed me, supported me and shown me nothing but kindness and love. This is my second home. And I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart. ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights. #CityOfImmigrants.”
When the Dodgers visited the White House July 23, Hernandez was on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment for a strained left oblique. But he also told reporters, "If I was active, I probably wouldn't have gone anyways."
Other Dodger playoff sluggers
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy are tied for 10th on the postseason home run list with 18 playoff homers apiece.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kiké Hernández's latest heroics puts him among MLB postseason legends
