On any given night the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup will feature previous Rookie of the Year and MVP winners, All-Stars and Silver Sluggers. Such was the case against the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day, but the night belonged to Kiké Hernandez in an 8-1 win at Dodger Stadium.
Hernandez finished with four hits and five RBI, both of which were game highs. His RBI single in the fourth inning pulled the Dodgers even after they’d squandered multiple opportunities. Hernandez then capped the night off with a two-run home run in the eighth.
“I mean, the first three at-bats, it was get jammed and throw a grenade out there and hopefully they land,” Hernandez said of his 4-for-5 effort. “From there we started finding the barrel a little bit more. It was a great night.”
The performance was an extension of what Hernandez showed during intrasqaud play and exhibition games. That wasn’t by accident, as he spent the time between Spring Training and Summer Camp to focus on his approach and swing.
“Something I’ve put a lot of work in is with trying to stay consistent and not do too much,” Hernandez explained. “That’s basically the approach that I took and it paid off. Hopefully I can have a few more of these days.
“It can get tough, especially for me. I have a quick bat and every time I swing, it kind of looks like it’s max effort. I’ve got to constantly remind myself to slow down. Just remind myself I don’t have to do too much to be able to drive the baseball with authority.”
The 2020 season is going to be a crucial one for Hernandez as he’s due to become a free agent this winter. It also has shaped up to be a season in which he should have plenty of opportunities to play on a regular basis, particularly with Gavin Lux getting optioned earlier in the week.
Mookie impressed
Betts and his 12-year contract extension signed on the eve of Opening Day garnered plenty of attention, but even with making an impact himself, the 2018 American League MVP raved about the Dodgers’ collection of talent.
“We’re deep. The lineup is deep and it’s just tough to really get through without getting hit around a little bit,” Betts said. “Cueto did a good job early, but we battled. We just battled through the whole game. Finally something clicked and we were able to put up some runs.”
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