Dodgers' Enrique Hernandez Told His Mom He'd Homer in NLCS Game 5, Then Hit Three
Thursday night's NLCS Game 5 was one that Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernandez will never forget, and with good reason, thanks to his three-homer, seven-RBI game that helped Los Angeles finish off the Cubs and clinch its first pennant since 1988. But for as magical and unexpected as Hernandez's exploits were, at least one person had an idea that they were coming: Hernandez himself.
As Hernandez told MLB Network's Greg Amsinger, he texted his mother back in Puerto Rico before going out to batting practice and told her that he was going to hit a home run. Her response? "Don't think about hitting a homer, just think about putting the ball in play."
Mild burn aside, that's not exactly bad advice from Kiké's mom, given that her son came into the night with only 28 career home runs across four abbreviated seasons of play. But 2017 has emphatically been the Year of the Dinger, so Hernandez didn't back down: "I was thinking about doing that the first two games and it didn't work, so I'm just going to try to hit a homer. Who cares about making contact? Everybody just wants homers."
Well, mission accomplished and then some. Nice work, too, by Hernandez on overdelivering on a promise; parents love that.
By the way, while you're here: Hernandez's mother watched NLCS Game 5 on a TV powered by a generator at her parents' house thanks to the fact that, because of Hurricane Maria, over 80% of the island of Puerto Rico is without power and has been for weeks. The people there have been left devastated by the storm—no power, no clean drinking water, and short on food, medical supplies and common goods—and could use your help in any way. So if you've got a spare dollar, head on over to Hernandez's fundraiser for Puerto Rico, which has already raised $103,000 in disaster relief efforts but could always use a little extra. Thank you!
