History Remembers the October Heroes
History remembers the October heroes over the regular season Joes. Six months of mediocrity is expunged with one swing in the postseason. Just ask Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson.
Kiké Hernández and Shohei Ohtani Shine in Game 3 of NLCS
Kiké Hernández is one of those players. Walker Buehler is also one of those players, and their teammate, Shohei Ohtani, playing in his first-ever postseason, would like to become one of those players.
Hernández and Ohtani both hit homers in the Big Apple on Wednesday, powering the Los Angeles Dodgers past the New York Mets 8-0 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, for a 2-1 series lead.
"That was huge. It was enormous," said Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts of the home runs from Hernández and Ohtani. "Kiké’s homer allowed Shohei [Ohtani] to kind of catch his breath and extend the lead, and Max [Muncy] had a huge game and continues to get big hits, but Kiké’s homer, that was the biggest hit of the game."
Hernández’s Postseason Success
Relegated to the bench from spring to fall, Hernández turns into Hank Aaron when the calendar turns to October. His 15th career postseason homer now puts him into a tie with Babe Ruth for 10th on the all-time list, and sixth among active players. He’s just two shy of David Ortiz and three behind the aforementioned Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson.
"I like Halloween," joked Hernández of why he performs at his best in the postseason.
Hernández’s OPS in the postseason during away games is a whopping 1.077, fourth on the all-time list behind Carlos Beltrán, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig.
Ohtani’s First Taste of the Postseason
Meanwhile, Ohtani’s first taste of the postseason has looked paltry compared to his historic regular season. The soon-to-be NL MVP, who had 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases during the 2024 campaign, was batting .222 with just one home run and no stolen bases in the postseason entering Game 3.
The narrative after the Dodgers’ 7-3 loss in Game 2, was that Ohtani was like Barry Bonds or Aaron Judge before him; great in the regular season, but a shell of themselves come October.
Maybe it’s not a coincidence that Judge hit his first homer of the playoffs in NYC on Tuesday, because Ohtani took a bite out of the Big Apple with his mammoth blast on Wednesday.
"I don’t know why people are talking about Shohei’s struggles," said teammate Mookie Betts of Ohtani. "He’s the best player on the field every day. Oh, he hasn’t gotten a hit without runners on base, who cares! It’s Shohei Ohtani. Everyone knows who he is. Every time he steps into the box, everyone expects something good to happen and I think that’s the problem. He’s done it so many times that you expect it, and when he’s a human for 20 at-bats, people worry. It’s Shohei Ohtani, he’ll be fine."
The Bullpen’s Success
The Dodgers found themselves on the receiving end of some bad defense in the top of the second inning.
Max Muncy led off with a walk, Teoscar Hernández reached on a fielder’s choice that bounced off Jose Iglesias’ glove, and the Dodgers scored their first run thanks to back-to-back comebackers to the pitcher that were mishandled. Tommy Edman followed with a sac fly that gave the Dodgers a two-run lead.
"We didn’t make a couple of plays, obviously. Weak ground ball to Alvie, it’s a bang-bang play at second base. I don’t know if Iglesias would have caught that ball, he would have been out. Maybe tried to do a little too much there," added Mendoza of the bad defense in the second inning. "And then obviously Sevy couldn’t make that play on that comebacker, potential double play. We only get one out. So when you’re giving a team like this extra outs, extra bases, they’re going to make you pay."
Buehler’s Heroics
Walker Buehler darted and danced his way out of danger all night, like a man avoiding a swarm of hornets. After loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the second inning, Buehler struck out back-to-back hitters, including Mets’ MVP Francisco Lindor, to end the threat.
"That was the pitch of the game," said Roberts. "The crowd was in it, they were gaining momentum. To get the breaking ball below the zone and get a great hitter out, was huge."
Buehler admitted that prior to his second Tommy John surgery in 2022, he would have probably thrown a fastball in that situation to Lindor.
"With 3-2 and the bases loaded, I have to throw a curveball now instead of a heater," said Buehler of how he’s adapted as a pitcher following the surgery.
Buehler struck out six in four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with two walks in his 17th career postseason start, second-most in Dodgers history behind only Clayton Kershaw with 32.
Conclusion
Game 4 of the best-of-seven NLCS is scheduled for Thursday, October 17th with first pitch scheduled for 5:08 PM PT.
FAQs
Q: Why does Kiké Hernández succeed in the postseason?
A: Hernández has a .957 OPS in the postseason, fourth on the all-time list.
Q: How does Shohei Ohtani succeed with runners on base?
A: Ohtani has 17 hits in his last 20 at-bats with runners on base, the most hits by any MLB player over any span of 20 at-bats with RISP in the last 50 years, regular or postseason.
Q: Why is Walker Buehler successful in the postseason?
A: Buehler has struck out 36 batters in 34.2 scoreless postseason innings, fourth-most in Dodgers history.
Q: Why do the Dodgers’ relievers succeed?
A: The Dodgers’ relievers have combined to throw five shutout innings, putting the Dodgers two wins away from advancing to the World Series.
