The Los Angeles Dodgers came from behind to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series thanks to another clutch home run from Teoscar Hernández.
The veteran outfielder delivered a go-ahead, three-run blast with two outs in the top of the seventh inning that gave the Dodgers a decisive 5-3 lead.
In doing so, Hernández became the first player in MLB history to have at least three home runs and nine RBI in his team’s first three games of a postseason.
The 32-year-old previously went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs in the Dodgers’ win over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. He added two more RBI on a double in the team’s clinching victory at Dodger Stadium.
Hernández endured somewhat of an uneven 2025 season but started to catch fire last month and has been able to maintain that success so far in the postseason.
He finished the month of September with nine extra-base hits and 12 RBI in 22 games, and now owns a 1.429 on-base plus slugging percentage through the Dodgers’ first three playoff contests.
Hernández recently said he is starting to feel more like himself at the plate and believes his swing has been much improved as well.
Hernández’s latest homer also helped erase some of the sting of not cutting off a ball to the gap earlier in Game 1, which contributed to the Phillies taking a 3-0 lead.
Teoscar Hernández part of rare Dodgers postseason history
Hernández’s go-ahead home run against the Phillies was also the fifth in the seventh inning or later while the Dodgers were trailing in franchise postseason history.
He joined an exclusive group that includes Freddie Freeman (Game 1 of the 2024 World Series), Justin Turner (Game 2 of the 2019 NL Championship Series), Juan Uribe (Game 4 of the 2013 NLCS) and Kirk Gibson (Game 1 of the 1988 World Series).
Hernández has already matched the amount of home runs he hit during the Dodgers’ postseason run in 2024. He finished with 12 RBI in 16 playoff games last year as L.A. went on to win their eighth World Series championship.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
