Teoscar Hernández has continuously stepped up to the plate in big moments for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he has found a knack for producing in those spits.
The Dodgers have thrived in two-out scenarios this season, with the 31-year-old being a big piece to that production. He has also been their most productive hitter through three games of the National League Division Series with runners on base.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been feeling really good,” Hernández said prior to Game 4. “Like I always say, I had a plan and I executed it. If I go there and execute it the right way, good things going to happen. And that’s the thing that’s been happening to me so far.
“But today is another day. The game yesterday is in the past. Just trying to do the things today, the things that matter and trying to win.”
While Hernández downplayed his success with runners in scoring position as just executing his plan, he previously said those are the moments that he places the highest value on, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
“That’s what makes you a really good player,” Hernández said, when asked how much he enjoys hitting with runners in scoring position. “I want to be a really good player. I want to be in those situations every time, even if I strike out or I don’t get the job done. The next opportunity, I want it back and just try do better.”
From Aug. 1 to the end of the season, he was one of the Dodgers’ best hitters with runners on base and in scoring position. In 96 plate appearances in those combined scenarios, Hernández owned a 177 wRC+ with a 1.009 on-base plus slugging.
To make matters better, he’s a hitter that will hunt for a pitch, strikeout a bit, but when he makes contact, extra bases are the likely outcome. Hernández posted his best overall batting average since the 2021 season, and the second-best mark of his career, not counting the shortened 2020 year.
Overall, Hernández has played above the value of his one-year contract with the Dodgers, batting .272/.339/.501 with a 134 wRC+ and 33 home runs and 99 RBI over 154 games.
Teoscar Hernández believes in Dodgers ability to win NLDS
The Dodgers trail the San Diego Padres 2-1 in the NLDS and find themselves on the brink of elimination for the third consecutive season. When a home team is leading the series with a chance to clinch, they end up winning 82% of the time.
“For me, I think just numbers,” Hernández said. “I know when you go back and you watch when it happens, like you said, the percentage is really high. But like I say, I trust in my teammates. I trust in the team that we have. And we’re more than capable to come back and win today and force a Game 5.”
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