PHILADELPHIA — Game One swung in the span of a few at-bats. The Dodgers trailed, the crowd tightened, and then the bottom of the order found air. Kiké Hernández lit the match with a two-run double in the sixth, the first big swing in a 5–3 comeback in Philadelphia. Afterward, he kept it simple and gave the credit away.
“Full credit to Freddie Freeman,” Hernández said. “Freddie got us going with a two-out walk. It was a big at-bat and he took tough pitches. After that Tommy Edman took what they gave him. He got a pitch away and went with it, and he kind of showed me everything.”
The sixth inning was part scouting, part feel. “Against Cristopher Sánchez he showed me all three pitches,” Hernández said. “He had more movement than the last time we faced him at home. I was just trying not to do too much and look for a pitch to hit. He actually made a really good pitch. I was able to stay inside the ball and keep it fair.”
Momentum arrived fast. “For us it’s always a matter of time,” he said. “It’s about getting it going, and it felt like we did it at the right time. After that, Teoscar hit a big three-run homer like he has so many times the last two years.”
Hernández made sure to include the pitching. “All credit to the pitching,” he said. “Shohei had that one inning and then he kept us in the game. He kept doing it. The bullpen came in and shut the door. That was huge for us.”
In the dugout, the go-ahead shot played out in slow motion. “We were all losing our minds,” Hernández said. “We could not really see his reaction because we were trying to find the ball. It was a really high fly ball and the stadium got quiet, and we were not sure if it was going to be a homer. We watched the ball and once it went out we started freaking out. Teo was still freaking out. I did not see his reaction, but I cannot wait to watch it inside.”
He returned to the two-out sequence that set everything up. “Freddie’s walk changed the inning,” Hernández said. “Tommy stayed with the pitch. For me it was not about power. It was about getting something I could handle and staying through it.”
On Roki Sasaki, who recorded the last three outs in a loud ballpark, Hernández sounded both impressed and at ease. “It was huge,” he said. “I was not sure what to expect because he started warming up late. Then the ball hit the umpire and it gave him a chance to get ready and come in. He did what he did against Cincinnati. It was fun to watch and we are looking forward to the next game.”
The theme of the night was patience feeding opportunity. “It felt like the tide turned there,” Hernández said. “We got to the bullpen and kept pressure on them. Once Teoscar hit it, we just had to lock it down.”
He also pointed back to the plan against Sánchez. “He had more life than the last time,” Hernández said. “You cannot try to force it when the ball is moving like that. I just wanted a good pitch and a clean swing. Keep it fair and keep the line moving.”
Asked about the dugout after the double, Hernández smiled. “It got loud on our side,” he said. “Guys were locked in. Everyone was talking through pitches and what he was doing. It is a good feeling when you can pass the baton and see it work.”
The veteran utility man has made a habit of October moments, but he kept the focus on the group. “It is always about the team,” he said. “My job is to be ready for anything and help us win. Tonight it was a big swing. Tomorrow it might be a bunt or a play in the field.”
He circled back to Ohtani one more time. “Shohei kept us right there,” Hernández said. “After that inning he gave us a chance and that is all you can ask for. When the offense came through, the bullpen finished it.”
The message heading into Game Two was steady. “Start fast, keep the pressure, and be ready for another close one,” he said. “They are a good team. We just have to keep playing our game.”
And on the feeling of delivering the first crack in a tough night for the Phillies’ starter, Hernández let the swing speak for itself. “I was trying to get a pitch I could handle and not do too much,” he said. “He gave me one. I stayed inside it. That was it.”
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