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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN editor
After Freddie Freeman hit a Kirk Gibson and before Yoshinobu Yamamoto completed a career-defining start, Teoscar Hernández left his own mark in this World Series, hitting a two-run homer in Game 2 that provided the runs winners in Game 4 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. -2 victory against the New York Yankees. It’s a moment that might go largely unnoticed in the history of this series, trampled in Game 2 by Shohei Ohtani’s injury scare — but such anonymity might be appropriate.
Hernández has spent the entire year as an overlooked but crucial figure on a star-laden Dodgers team that is now two wins away from a title.
Amid a billion-dollar splurge headlined by Ohtani, Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, Hernández agreed to a one-year, $23.5 million contract largely because his market was hardly materializing , an addition that seemed almost unnecessary. But the Dodgers lineup wouldn’t be as complete without his power. Their clubhouse wouldn’t be as united without his presence.
Hernández sipped a cup of coffee near his home in Los Angeles’ Studio City neighborhood last week and reflected on a year that began with hope and will end, championship or not, “better than anything what I could have imagined. Hernández had one of his best offensive seasons – with a .272/.339/.501 slash line, 33 homers and 99 RBIs in 154 games – won the Home Run Derby and became the happy seed pitcher sunflower in-face wearing a game microphone from one of baseball’s most famous teams.
“Shohei is obviously going to be the MVP of the entire league,” Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “But for me, apart from him, Teoscar is our MVP.”
Ohtani and Yamamoto were clearly the headliners of last winter’s free agent class, poised to make nine-figure deals that would set new precedents. Following them in the pecking order was a boring group of household names who demanded massive contracts but presented a wide range of concerns, a list consisting of Jordan Montgomery, Josh Hader, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger.
Hernández resided in the tier just below them – not important enough to make a lot of money but, perhaps, a safe bet amid uncertainty. After Bellinger and Jung Hoo Lee, he was the best outfielder available. After Ohtani, he might have been the best power hitter. A three to four year deal seemed reasonable, even likely.
“I thought it was going to be different,” Hernández said, turning to his agent, Rafa Nieves of Republik Sports, sitting next to him. “We I thought it was going to be different.
Hernández, who turned 32 this month, entered free agency as a former All-Star with two Silver Slugger Awards and six seasons producing an OPS 19 percentage points above the league average . From 2018-2023, he slashed .262/.317/.484 with 147 home runs and 442 RBIs. But he was coming off a bad year in Seattle, in which he played in a career-high 160 games but posted his lowest OPS for the entire season.
That, in addition to the usual concerns about his defensive value and strikeout rate, has stalled the market for Hernández. As a result, Hernandez only received two-year offers, with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels emerging as the leading suitors. A guaranteed third year from either team could have finalized a deal.
This made the Dodgers more and more tempting.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes contacted Nieves early on in his free agent tenure and was the first person he met at general managers’ meetings in early November. The Dodgers would be pursuing Ohtani and needed to take care of their rotation. After that, they wanted another bat. Even after signing veteran corner outfielder Jason Heyward to a one-year, $9 million contract in late November, Hernández was their preference.
After a rocky few weeks that saw them sign Ohtani, Glasnow and Yamamoto, the Dodgers went back with Nieves and ultimately agreed to a one-year deal, albeit with a higher average annual value than Hernández’s other deals. Rather than having long-term security, Hernández would re-enter the market in a year. He would bet on a Dodgers franchise that plays continuously through October and has a reputation for making players better.
But above all, he was betting on himself.
“My career has not been easy,” Hernández said. “Nothing was. But I’m the type of guy who fights back.
Hernández grew up in the Dominican town of Maimón, a utility infielder who did not attract much attention as a teenager. Scouts determined he wasn’t fast enough and didn’t possess enough power. He was considered the worst thing a projectable teenager could be: a preteen. From the age of 15 to 18, he received only empty promises and lukewarm interest.
“If I ask you how many tries I did to try to get signed, what do you think? » asked Hernández. “Throw a number.”
10?
15?
30?
“I’ve done over a hundred tries,” Hernández said.
In 2011, after playing at the Houston Astros’ Dominican Complex for nearly a month, Hernández had had enough. He went home and decided to quit. He spent two weeks at home without practicing before the Astros rehabbed him and eventually offered him a $15,000 offer. Hernandez agreed.
“Since that day, I’ve been fighting and fighting and fighting,” Hernández said. “And it’s gotten harder and harder every year.”
Six years later, the Astros traded Hernández to the Toronto Blue Jays midway through the 2017 season. Two years later, during his age-26 season, Hernández earned his first team opening day debut, only to struggle powerfully and be expelled six weeks later. His breakthrough 2020 season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. His 2021 season was hampered by his own case of COVID.
But by 2022, despite an oblique strain that cost him three weeks, Hernández had established himself as a valuable power hitter who could act as a catalyst in the middle of a lineup — enough for the hungry Seattle Mariners to attack, exchange it. in November.
Hernández’s final year before free agency would see him anchor a lineup alongside Julio Rodríguez, while playing for a Mariners team poised to make a deep run. But Hernández only slashed .238/.288/.406 through the end of July. He got hot in August but still finished with a .741 OPS, his lowest since becoming a regular six years earlier. The Mariners missed the playoffs by one game.
“It was a really good team, really talented,” Hernández said. “But we were missing something. And I think it was about playing as a group, not individually.
The first player to contact Hernández upon signing with the Dodgers was Ohtani, via a direct message on Instagram.
“Finally,” it read, “we are going to play together.”
As an Angel, Ohtani hit Hernández on the right hand with a pellet on April 5, 2023 and apologized for it as he walked out of the stadium. This sparked a short conversation and a surprising friendship.
Hernández has a reputation for being optimistic, friendly and laid back. His adjustment on the Dodgers was instantaneous. Along the way, Hernández grew from the group around him. It was his first encounter with established stars and a winning culture. He’s learned to handle the rigors of a season, most recently drawing inspiration from how Freeman overcame injuries in October. He learned to keep going, no matter what came his way.
“He said something in spring training that caught my attention,” Rojas said. “In Toronto, he was a player trying to make a name for himself but at the same time he needed to be the leader of the group. Here, he doesn’t have to do that. He came to our club knowing that he didn’t have to be the thing that unites everyone and all that. He can focus on what he does on the field and what he does best, which is what gets hit. »
Hernández’s production has remained steady throughout the 2024 season, devoid of the ups and downs that have plagued him at times. In September, he was at his best, slashing .329/.407/.605 as the Dodgers made the final push to win an 11th division title in 12 years. Even after Hernandez went hitless in 18 at-bats through the first five games of the National League Championship Series, his approach didn’t waver. He drew seven walks during this stretch, a circumstance that even surprised him. The results weren’t going his way, but he didn’t pursue it. He didn’t get impatient.
In Game 6, the night the Dodgers clinched their first pennant in four years, Hernández served as an early catalyst, lining up two hits as the Dodgers scored six runs in the first three innings.
For him, it was a moment of growth.
“I know I’m going to fail, I know I’m going to make mistakes, but this year I have this confidence,” Hernández said. “I know at some point I’m going to come back, hit the ball hard, hit home runs, get on base, make plays.”
When Yankee Stadium hosted a high-profile game between the Dodgers and Yankees over the summer, Hernández played the starring role. He hit the game-winning two-run double in the 11th inning on June 7, hit two home runs in a rout on June 8, contributed two hits and another homer in the lone loss on June 9. Going back now – with the highest stakes, in front of a hostile crowd and against a desperate team – brought a special level of excitement to him.
“It’s going to be crazy,” Hernández said of the World Series coming to the Bronx for Games 3, 4 and, if the Dodgers don’t sweep, all 5. “But I love it. I love the challenges. I like it when things get really tough. And I think that’s when you see the best in me, when you’re going against a really good pitcher, a really good team. There’s just something about those. moments that I love.
The 2024 season started with a risk. It will end in growth and validation. With a reaffirmation of his belief that things happen for a reason. With a clearer vision of what he’ll be looking for in free agency — long-term security and an opportunity to win — and the idea that he shouldn’t have to settle.
Only a handful of teams wanted Hernández this offseason. Today, one of the best doesn’t know where he would be without him.
“What will they say now? »Hernández said. “I want to see what excuses they come up with now.”