Teoscar plays hero as Dodgers walk off
Juan Toribio
@juanctoribioLOS ANGELES -- Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas posed with a sign during batting practice. He then passed it off to left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who smiled for the camera.
The messaging on the sign was simple: Vote for Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández (and their injured teammate Mookie Betts) to represent the Dodgers as starters for the National League in this year¡¯s All-Star Game in Arlington before voting ended Weednesday.
If the relentless social media push didn't get the job done for Hern¨¢ndez, he let his bat do the talking -- again. Hern¨¢ndez, who has been one of the most clutch players in baseball so far this season, delivered the walk-off single in the ninth inning off right-hander Paul Sewald to lead the Dodgers to a 6-5 win over the D-backs on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
"I mean, the support has been awesome,¡± Hern¨¢ndez said after his fifth career walk-off (and first since 2023 with Toronto). "To be part of the All-Star Game this year is going to be amazing for me. Especially coming into this city, to this team and representing it, it¡¯s going to be a dream come true to play for the Dodgers and represent them in the All-Star Game. It doesn¡¯t matter if I start or if I go. You know it¡¯s good to be a part of it.¡±
Hern¨¢ndez has the numbers to be one of the three starters in the outfield for the NL. If selected either as a starter or reserve player, which is largely expected, it will be his second All-Star Game appearance. The starters will be announced today on ESPN and the Dominican outfielder has put together quite the case in his first season in Los Angeles, trailing only Ohtani (64) with 58 RBIs for the most on the Dodgers.
"Just looking back at his first half, he¡¯s putting a lot of quality at-bats and he¡¯s been put in a lot of situations when there¡¯s runners on base,¡± said Ohtani through interpreter Will Ireton. ¡°It really shows his ability to drive in runs.¡±
The latest chance for Hern¨¢ndez to drive in key runs came in an improbable ninth inning comeback for the Dodgers. Down a run going into the bottom of the frame, Sewald struck out Gavin Lux and Ohtani to start off the inning. For most teams, it would¡¯ve been easy to chalk it up as a loss and move on to the next day -- but the Dodgers wanted to complete their third massive comeback over the last couple of weeks.
Will Smith began the rally with a two-out double off Sewald, which was followed by a game-tying RBI double from Freddie Freeman, who was down to his last strike. Once Hern¨¢ndez stepped up to the plate, there was almost no doubt that he would come up big in that situation. It¡¯s what he¡¯s done all season. Two pitches later, Hern¨¢ndez deposited one into left field, allowing Freeman to score the game-winning run.
"With Teo, he doesn¡¯t run from those spots,¡± said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. ¡°If there¡¯s anybody you want up to bat, he¡¯s right at the top of the list, and he made them pay.¡±
Hern¨¢ndez¡¯s ability to drive in runs has made Roberts compare him to his former teammate (and former Dodger) Manny Ramirez, who developed a reputation as one of the best clutch performances of his generation. Hern¨¢ndez, of course, being from the Dominican Republic, watched a lot of Ramirez¡¯s success when he was younger.
"It makes me feel proud of myself when you get compared to one of the greatest hitters in baseball history and one of the most clutch guys in big situations,¡± Hern¨¢ndez said. ¡°It means a lot to me."
This offseason, Hern¨¢ndez took a chance on himself, passing up multiyear offers from the Angels and Red Sox and opted to sign a one-year deal with the Dodgers after having a down offensive season in ¡®23 with the Mariners. That gamble is paying off in a big way for Hern¨¢ndez, who has, more often than not, been the catalyst of the comeback Dodgers.
"Plays every day, hits in the middle of the lineup, Silver Slugger, All-Star, everything he is,¡± Freeman said. ¡°He posts every single day and that¡¯s huge. You can¡¯t say enough about what he¡¯s meant to our team this year."