Red Sox’s Kiké Hernández is rising to the October pressure
Last night felt like an exorcism for the Red Sox after the embarrassment that was Game 1 of the ALDS. I think it’s safe to say that we all had a World Series winning feeling after sending the Yankees packing and that joy was wrecked pretty quickly by Tampa Bay. Well, that sorrow didn’t last long thanks to the Boston bats in Game 2 with Kiké Hernández leading the charge, something we should all get used to.
Since joining the Red Sox last winter Kiké has been the heart of this team. There are a lot of characters on this squad with plenty of personalities but Hernández feels like the glue that’s holding it all together. Despite his early-season flounders as a lead-off man, he evolved into one of the best in the game and has grown an instinct for when it’s time to activate the clutch gene.
So, Kiké Hernández is tied for the record for hits in a playoff game (5), XBH in a playoff game (4), and HRs in a playoff game (3 -- not tonight, obv).
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) October 9, 2021
The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier dropped a pretty cool fact about our enigmatic centerfielder and it only furthers the narrative that he’s an October superstar. Hernández has been in the league for eight years, seven of which have seen him play in the postseason. In those seven years, he’s amassed a .237/.340/.481 line with nine homers and 21 RBI in the playoffs, not bad, but 2021 has been different.
For the Red Sox, Kiké is hitting an absolutely new level and it’s been a joy to watch every night. Through two games in this year’s ALDS, he’s rocking a .500/.500/1.100 line with all of that damage coming last night at the Trop. My guy went 5-6, which as Speier pointed out, ties him for the most hits and most XBH in a single playoff game, that’s pretty damn cool.
But this isn’t just about last night, he’s come through for Boston since the calendar flipped from the regular season. Kiké also went 1-3 against the Yankees in the Wild Card Game adding a walk and a run in what was the most important game of the year. He also started the play that nailed Aaron Judge at the plate, sucking any life New York had right out of them.
Remember that clutch gene I mentioned before? Well, it came in handy last night as his home-run was the hit that brought the Red Sox level with the Rays and you know what happened next. The moral of the story is that Kiké has not only been embraced by this organization in his first year here but he’s become one of the most important players in the lineup.
I’ve been a big Hernández guy throughout his entire time with the Dodgers and I was thrilled when his signing was announced in Boston. He’s the perfect player to fit both Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora’s plans for this team. Not only does he not give any pushback if he gets moved around the order or the field but he makes sure to give everything he has when he wears that uniform.
That’s my kind of player. I’ll often refer to him as “My Number Five,” and he’s more than worthy enough of the legacy that that number holds with this organization. He has one more year left on his deal with the Red Sox but at only 30-years-old I could see an extension coming his way in 2022 if he continues performing at this rate. I was worried that when Jackie Bradley Jr. walked in the offseason that we’d be hurting in centerfield, but that just hasn’t been the case.
The postseason is far from over but I’m loving the fact that we’re seeing players other than the big three step up and carry some of the workload. Kiké Hernández has been a fantastic addition to this team and he’s hitting his full potential with the lights shining the brightest. If he keeps this up, he may find his name in the hallowed halls of Red Sox postseason legends.