{"id":34867,"date":"2025-03-21T07:24:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=34867"},"modified":"2025-03-21T07:24:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:24:32","slug":"breaking-hernandez-shines-in-tokyo-proving-his-elite-versatility-on-global-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=34867","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Hern\u00e1ndez Shines in Tokyo, Proving His Elite Versatility on Global Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"c-content entry-content\">\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205273278-e1742516827266.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205273278-e1742516827266.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205273278-e1742516827266.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2205273278-e1742516827266.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-dom-ready-time=\"4761\" data-img-load-time=\"5285\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">Enrique Hern\u00e1ndez celebrates after hitting a home-run in the fourth inning during the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs game in the MLB Tokyo Series on March 19, in Tokyo, Japan.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>After first baseman\u00a0Freddie Freeman\u00a0was scratched right before first pitch in Game 1 of the Tokyo Series, utility player\u00a0Enrique Hern\u00e1ndez\u00a0was moved from left field to replace Freeman at first base in the\u00a0Los Angeles Dodgers\u00a0matchup against the\u00a0Cubs.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Freeman\u2019s Absence Opens Door at First Base<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The original first baseman, listed on the roster, experienced left rib discomfort on Tuesday night, prompting manager\u00a0Dave Roberts\u00a0to pull him from the game. Fortunately for the Dodgers, Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s versatility stood out as he brought both energy and strength to the field.<\/p>\n<p>With Freeman also pulled from Game 2, Hern\u00e1ndez rose to the occasion with an impressive performance. At the top of the fourth inning, the 33-year-old launched a two-run homer to left field, extending the Dodgers\u2019 lead to 5-1.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt felt great, I didn\u2019t do anything [in Game 1] so I felt like I got to do something tonight,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said in an interview with\u00a0Harold Reynolds. \u201cAs a first baseman I felt like slugging was the right thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Game 1 of the series the utility player was at bat five times, with no homers and zero RBIs. He made sure to change those numbers the following night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was supposed to play left, there was a late line shift but it was nothing new to me,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel comfortable at first right now\u2026getting that homer felt amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hern\u00e1ndez played first base in the exhibition games of the Tokyo Series, as well as a few times during Dodgers\u2019 spring training. Confident in the position, he demonstrated his skill and ability to step up to the plate when his team needed him.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>MLB Journey\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>He capped off the 2024 MLB season with a stellar performance, finishing with 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a .229\/.281\/.654 slash line. Holding a reputation to excel in the postseason, Kike Hern\u00e1ndez has earned the nickname, \u2018Mr. October\u2019, traditionally associated with\u00a0Reggie Jackson. The versatile player consistently delivers in the playoffs, most recently hitting a game-winning home run in Game 5 of the 2024 National League Division series against the San Diego Padres.<\/p>\n<p>Through spring training, Hern\u00e1ndez appeared at bat 25 times, with four RBIs and a .391\/.517\/1.08 slash line. Originally selected by the Houston Astros in the sixth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, he was named Gulf Coast League Astros Team MVP, hitting .295 with a homer and 27 RBIs in 53 games in his first professional season.<\/p>\n<p>After a successful first season, he made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2014, later joining the Miami Marlins the same year. He went on to play for the Dodgers from 2015 to 2020, the Boston Red Sox from 2021 to 2023, and then returned to the Dodgers in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Hern\u00e1ndez earned his second World Series Title as a Dodger in 2024, with a previous title from the 2020 World Series Championship.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Special Start to the Season<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Proud to be wearing Dodger blue, he made the most of his time in Tokyo opening up the 2025 MLB season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a heck of an experience, we had a lot of fun not just on the field, but off the field as well,\u201d he said in an interview with\u00a0SportsNet LA. \u201cIt was a once in a lifetime experience, having Roki, Yoshinobu, and Shohei as teammates made it special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The utility player is grateful for the opportunity to explore his teammates\u2019 home country and witness firsthand the impact the players have on the fans in Tokyo. Between\u00a0team dinners,\u00a0cultural outings, and his memorable home run, Hern\u00e1ndez returns to the United States with core memories and a strong start to his season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Enrique Hern\u00e1ndez celebrates after hitting a home-run in the fourth inning during the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs game in the MLB Tokyo Series on&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Hern\u00e1ndez Shines in Tokyo, Proving His Elite Versatility on Global Stage - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=34867\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Hern\u00e1ndez Shines in Tokyo, Proving His Elite Versatility on Global Stage - 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