The Dodgers looked to be doomed after Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sánchez limited them to just two hits and zero runs scored over his first five innings of work.
Then, the Hernández’s flipped the script, and exacted their terror in the postseason once more.
Kiké Hernández broke the scoreless ice for the Dodgers in the top of the sixth inning by lacing a two-run double to make it a one run deficit. With two outs and two men on in the top of the seventh inning, Teoscar Hernández silenced Citizens Bank
Park by lifting an opposite field three-run home run against Matt Strahm. Those two hits were enough to carry the Dodgers to a Game 1 victory over the Phillies.
The Dodgers have seen little success against Philadelphia in their last nine games in the regular season against them, dropping seven of those games which featured a three game sweep by the Phillies in September of last year. When the light shined the most, however, the Dodgers understood the task and now hold a one game lead over the Phillies in the NLDS. None of that would have been possible without the monsters that are Kiké and Teoscar Hernández.
Kiké Hernández has a well documented track record of success in the postseason, crushing 15 home runs between both the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. He has continued to produce when it matters most, as he now has hit safely in each playoff game this year and sports a robust .417 batting average over those three games. With Michael Conforto left off both the Wild Card and NLDS rosters, Hernández has filled in nicely in left field and also got the start at third base against the lefty Sánchez.
Teoscar Hernández has seen a redemption arc over the course of the first few playoff games. After finishing the regular season with the worst slash line of his career, Hernández has found his stride again at the perfect time. He was instrumental in helping the Dodgers take care of business against the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card series, most notably smashing a pair of home runs against Reds ace Hunter Greene. His defense is still much to be desired, as per his lack of effort on a triple from J.T. Realmuto that helped the Phillies take an early lead, his bat certainly made up for his blunder in the outfield.
When both Kiké and Teoscar are rolling, the Dodgers find themselves in a better position to win. This is obvious.
Last year against Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the NLDS, the Dodgers offense couldn’t amount to anything, except for a pair of home runs from both of the Hernández sluggers. Both of them played a pivotal role in erasing a five run deficit in the fifth inning in Game 5 of last year’s World Series against the New York Yankees. The Dodgers have had their eyes set on repeating since they hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy last season, and the recipe for repeating must include putting both Kiké and Teoscar Hernández as fixtures within the starting lineup. It showed on Saturday, and now, the biggest task will be the same product throughout the rest of the postseason.
