Remember: Kiké Hernandez became Ted Williams for two weeks
With the 2023 Red Sox season drawing to a close, and the team in addition destined to miss October Baseball for the second consecutive season. I find myself reminiscing about the 2021 Red Sox, a squad that played meaningful games at Fenway Park. One player from that team stands out, and it’s quite a contrast from the current team I see today. That’s Kiké Hernandez.
The Start
Enrique Hernández joined the Red Sox in 2021 after helping the Dodgers secure their first World Series Championship since 1988. He was initially brought in as the team’s new starting second baseman and utility player. Later became the everyday centerfielder. Hernández showcased his skills finishing the regular season with a slash line of .250 batting average, 20 home runs and 60 RBIs. However, it was during the October postseason when Kiké Hernández would etch his name into Boston lore, if only for a few weeks.
October
While Hernández had shown flashes of brilliance in previous postseasons, his performance in the 2021 MLB postseason reached an entirely different level. For a time, Hernández was the best hitter on Earth.
The Red Sox clinched a postseason berth with all the pieces falling into place. The final week of September was challenging, with four teams in the stacked AL East (Tampa Bay, New York, Toronto, and Boston) all maintaining records above .500 by a significant margin. Tampa Bay ultimately secured the division title while the other three teams were neck-and-neck in the race for the AL Wild Card game.
The Red Sox’s chances seemed bleak, particularly after a dismal stretch where they lost five of their last six games, including a sweep by the Yankees and a series loss to the Orioles, who would go on to record 110 losses that season (how times have changed). However, a sweep of the Juan Soto-led Nationals secured October baseball for the Red Sox.
Hernandez’s First Half
Kiké Hernández’s went relatively quiet in the Red Sox’s Wild Card win over the Yankees, with a single off Gerrit Cole. This made his subsequent performance in the following ten postseason games even more impressive. The real fun began in the American League Division Series (ALDS) against the Division Champion Tampa Bay Rays.
In four ALDS games, Hernández batted a remarkable .450 with three doubles, two home runs and an impressive 1.329 OPS. Along with his impressive Ted Williams impersonation, he delivered the series-clinching walk-off that sent Tampa Bay packing.
His Second Half
Next, the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Houston Astros, and it was Kiké Hernández who filled me with optimism, a feeling I wish I still had about the Red Sox these days. During the ALCS, Hernández went 10-for-26 with a double, a triple and three home runs over the six games. His performances had me eagerly awaiting his next at-bat, reminiscent of the confidence I had in a player coming through in clutch moments, like David Ortiz … I miss David Ortiz.
Altogether, in 11 games Kiké went 20-for-49 with four doubles, a triple, and five home runs. Good for a slash line of .408/.423/.837.
Despite Hernández and the entire Red Sox offense going quiet in the final few games of the ALCS, I remain convinced that in an alternate universe, Kiké Hernández would have made even more magic in a World Series matchup against the Braves. Kiké would be remembered as a Red Sox playoff hero who finished his story with a championship for Beantown.
That’s the beauty of October Baseball—it’s where magic happens, and I can’t wait.
Hernández was the embodiment of that 2021 Red Sox team; a group of playoff-tested gunslingers who could run the score up with the best of them. That team was fun, that team made me hopeful for the future of this team … then the 2022-2023 seasons happened. I need the help of The Red Sox to get that optimism back for 2024.
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