Kiké Hernández added onto his postseason reputation Friday night with a dramatic double play that secured a win for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the World Series.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched six innings before the Dodgers turned to their bullpen with a 3-1 lead. Justin Wrobleski was first to answer the bell by stranding a two-out double in the seventh. Roki Sasaki then entered and left two runners on base in the eighth inning.
However, Sasaki wasn’t able to complete the two-inning save as he was removed upon hitting the leadoff batter and allowing a ground-rule double. Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers’ presumed starter for a potential Game 7, inherited the jam.
Glasnow got a quick first out and then benefitted from Hernández making a running catch in left field for the start of a game-ending double play at second base.
“With Glasnow’s stuff, I was anticipating him hitting the ball to the left side of the field. I was playing shallow with the tying runner at second base,” Hernández began to explain.
“I wanted to make sure if he got a hit through the six-hole, I was going to be shallow enough to keep the tying run that was at second base, keep him at third. And have the batter stay at first.
“But for a split second as Glasnow threw the ball, the crowd got quiet and I was able to hear that the bat broke. So I got a really good jump on the ball. I came in, and halfway there the ball got in the lights and I was like, it’s not the right time to stop and see where the ball is. Just keep going.
“At the very end the ball got out of the lights and went in my glove. I felt that guy on second off the bat, he thought the ball was going to drop. So I felt he was kind of off the bag, but I was coming in full speed so I didn’t really want to throw hard because I was probably going to throw it over his head.”
Kiké Hernández credits Miguel Rojas
Given that Hernández was mindful of not making an errant throw over second base, it may have resulted in a short hop that Miguel Rojas needed to dig out.
“Unbelievable pick by Miggy,” Hernández said. “I didn’t really give him the best of throws, but he was able to stay with it and force Game 7.”
The start was Rojas’ first since Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
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