TORONTO — Kiké Hernández sounded grateful and amped in equal measure. The utility man is on the verge of passing Justin Turner for most postseason games in Dodgers history, and the milestone clearly means something, even if he keeps steering the focus back to the series. Five trips to the World Series give him perspective. This run feels different to him, and he explained why.
On passing Turner, Hernández tried to keep it modest. He said it will be “an unbelievable accomplishment for me on a personal level,” then added that right now he’s “so focused on winning a World Series” that it’s hard to sit and reflect. Talking about himself isn’t his favorite thing, but he made an exception to credit a friend: “Surpassing JT, a guy that’s meant so much in my career, a really good friend of mine… another added bonus, super special.” He also expects the record to keep moving. “Sho’s got eight more years here. Mookie’s got like six more years. I don’t think my record’s going to be up there by myself for a while… those guys are going to surpass me.” When the games are over, he said, “I’m for sure going to sit back and think about this and have all the time to reflect,” but at the moment he’s “just thinking about the Toronto Blue Jays and how we can beat them.”
Asked what separates this club from the four other Dodger teams he’s ridden into October’s final week, Hernández pointed to how they’ve won. “Different group,” he said. “Majority of the core is here from last year, but when you look at how we did it last year, we did it completely different than this run.” He contrasted the paths: “We… basically abused our bullpen,” he said of 2024, while this time “we’ve relied deeply on our starting rotation.” The offense has had waves, but it has been enough: “Our offense has been up and down throughout this postseason, but we’ve scored enough… we’ve done the little things, which we haven’t necessarily done in the past.” He circled back to the theme: “This year we’re heavily relying on our starting pitching.”
Clayton Kershaw’s presence lingers over the room, and Hernández didn’t hide how much it matters to him. “Kersh is the guy that means the world to me,” he said. On his personal scale of respect, “I don’t know if I have a teammate in my pedestal higher than Kersh.” Winning for Kershaw would be “amazing,” though he was honest about the shared drive: “Selfishly, I want to do it for myself. Everybody wants to win a World Series.” Last fall, Kershaw’s influence still showed up, even from the inactive list: “People don’t talk about this enough, but he contributed so much even though he wasn’t active. Our vibes and our energy in the dugout each and every day were at an all-time high… he was leading the troops and making sure we never had a low-energy dugout.” Having him active now hits different: “For him to be a part of this one is pretty special for me… to see him on the field with us this time.”
The five- to six-day reset before Game 1 helped in ways you could feel across the roster. Hernández said it “allowed us to reset our pitching once again.” A few players were “grinding physically,” and the break helped them “recharge your batteries and regroup as a team.” He liked the approach they took: “Get the much-needed rest and also put in the work you would put in… take it one day at a time and pretend like it’s just one day off in between games.” The conclusion was simple: “We’re ready.”
Media Day energy is its own thing, and Hernández captured it with a grin. “Today is hectic,” he said. “We got to do this, we got to do green screen, we got to do all these things.” Tomorrow carries a different feel: “Tomorrow is going to be more like… Christmas Day feeling in the morning.” He admitted there’s some impatience with the build-up: “We kind of want to just get this over with and start the games again.” He’s expecting a live building: “This team on the other side hasn’t been in this stage in a really long time, and those are fans that are going to be bringing the energy. I’m really looking forward to the energy out there.”
Hernández also gave a window into the bullpen clubhouse vibe, even as a position player who floats between groups. He called the relievers “a small family inside of a big family,” where “for everyone to be successful is really fun to watch,” and you “always cheer on your family members.” That focus on the whole is part of why he keeps talking about little plays, situational baseball, and riding the starters as far as they can go.
If the record book updates during this series, Hernández will appreciate it in its time. For now, his attention sits squarely on the matchup in front of him, the rotation he trusts, and a veteran left-hander he admires. “We’ve done the little things,” he said, “and we found ways to score more runs than the other team.” With Toronto waiting and the building ready to shake, he offered the simplest summary of his team’s mood: “Yeah, we’re ready.”
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