While some members of the 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers roster are back in the World Series for a second, third or fourth time, it’s the first such appearance for Teoscar Hernández after joining the team as part of their spending spree in free agency last winter.
Now in his ninth year in the league, Hernández turned in a second career All-Star performance, batting .272/.339/.501 with 32 doubles and a career-high 33 home runs to go along with 99 RBI over 154 games during the regular season.
The 32-year-old earned the respect of being a consistent force in big moments, most recently with his success in the National League Division and Championship Series rounds.
As the Dodgers were on the verge of clinching their spot in the 2024 World Series, Hernández detailed his excitement and wanting to receive a ring with more merit than his one with the 2017 Houston Astros.
“It means a lot,” Hernández said last week. “I put a lot of work into the offseason, trying to get ready for whoever I would sign with. In this case I’m here right now. Put a lot of effort, put a lot of time trying to work the things that I didn’t do the way I wanted to do it last year, and just came here and trying to learn from the guys that already have success in the big league organization.
“Just trying to put myself in a good spot and trying to make my teammates better too. A lot of people don’t know, but I got a ring in 2017 with Houston Astros, but I didn’t get to play. One of my dreams is to go to the World Series and obviously win everything and be part of a winning team and be there and help a team win a championship.”
The Dodgers slotted Hernández in the heart of their lineup for the majority of the regular season, and he played a particularly key role when the club faced a left-handed starting pitcher.
Hernández has been vocal about his affinity for the Dodgers organization and their fans, and his desire to remain with the organization moving forward.
Teoscar Hernández’s Houston Astros career
Hernández began his professional career by signing with the Astros in February 2011 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic.
Hernández made his MLB debut with the Astros during the 2016 season, appearing in 41 games. He played in just one game for Houston the following year before being traded at the 2017 deadline.
The Astros packaged Hernández with Nori Aoki to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Francisco Liriano.
Hernández receiving a 2017 Astros World Series ring despite no longer being with the team when they won the championship is not unusual. It’s a situation Taylor Trammell now finds himself in with the New York Yankees and Dodgers playing the 2024 World Series.
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