THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL Oct. 19: Dodgers ride Kike Hernandez’ 3 HR, 7 RBI to 2017 World Series

Kiké Hernandez’s clutch, game-tying pinch-hit homer late in Game 7 of the NLCS on Sunday night that helped send the Dodgers to the World Series against the Rays shouldn’t have surprised anybody.

L.A.’s valuable utilityman has a knack for stepping it up in the postseason, and on this day in béisbol, Oct. 19, 2017, Hernandez pulled off some October magic with a home-run hat trick that sent the Dodgers to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1988.

Batting sixth and playing left in Game 5 of the NLCS, the San Juan, Puerto Rico-born Hernandez led off the top of the second with a home run to give L.A. a 2-1 lead against the Cubs, the 2016 defending champs. 

In the following inning Hernandez broke it open for the Dodgers with a grand slam, then capped the win with a two-run shot in the ninth for a final score of 11-1. 

The 3-for-4 day gave Hernandez 7 RBI, but teammates Justin Turner and Chris Taylor shared the NLCS MVP Award. The Dodgers would go on to lose the Astros in the World Series in seven games.

— Robert Dominguez

Robert Dominguez is co-author of “Bronx Bummers: The Unofficial History of the New York Yankees’ Bad Boys, Blunders and Brawls” and writer of the upcoming “El Salón: The Trials and Triumphs of Baseball’s Latino Hall of Famers.”

rdominguez@latinobaseball.com

Photo: Ian D’Andrea — Under Creative Commons License