Kike Hernandez Ties Aaron Judge, David Ortiz, and Jim Thome on Historic Postseason List With Home Run in Game 3 Victory

Kike Hernandez smashed a 2-run home run against Chris Sale in Game 3 of the NLDS and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win 3-1.

Kike Hernandez Ties Aaron Judge, David Ortiz, and Jim Thome on Historic Postseason List With Home Run in Game 3 Victory

Aaron Judge, Kike Hernandez, David Ortiz and Jim Thome (Image via X/@eyyankees/X/@MLBONFOX/X/@SportsCenter/X/@StoolBaseball)

As the month flips to October, Kike Hernandez becomes more lethal. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers star tied Aaron Judge and Hall of Famers David Ortiz and Jim Thome on a historic postseason list following his home run in Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Atlanta Braves.

The Dodgers took to the field in Game 3 on the back of a 3-2 loss in Game 2. For this huge game, they went with Yoshinobu Yamamoto as their starter. For the Braves, Chris Sale took the mound.

After three scoreless innings, it was Hernandez who made the big impact in the 4th inning. On a 1-0 count, the utility man connected on an 89 mph changeup and sent the ball flying into the deep left field to put the Dodgers up 2-0.

Later in the inning, Freddie Freeman extended the lead to 3-0 with a solo home run against Sale. A 10-strikeout performance from Yamamoto saw the Dodgers win 3-1 and take a 2-1 lead in this best-of-five series.

In a star-studded lineup of the Dodgers, Hernandez might not be the biggest name. However, when it comes to the playoffs, he is one of their best performers.

The home run in Game 3 was his 17th postseason home run. He is now level with Aaron Judge, David Ortiz, and Jim Thome on the list of most postseason home runs at 17.

The 2026 regular season was an injury-filled one for Hernandez. After coming back from an offseason shoulder surgery, he was part of the team for 2 days before landing on the injured list once again.

During those 2 games, he was 4-for-4 with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. Eventually, he finished the regular season with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs in 41 games and batted with a .222 average.

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Kike Hernandez is proud of his home run record in October

Kike Hernandez finally got his chance to bat in the 2026 postseason as he was named in the lineup for Game 3. He repaid the faith of his manager, Dave Roberts, with a huge home run against Chris Sale and improved his record in October. This is something he takes pride in.

Dodgers' Kike Hernandez
Kike Hernandez (Image via X/@BRWalkoff)

His 12 home runs in the postseason for the Dodgers are the 4th most by any player in franchise history. Only Justin Turner, Corey Seager (13 each), and Max Muncy (18) have more home runs in the postseason than he does.

As per OptaSTATS, he is also the only player in MLB history to have 10 percent of his career home runs (regular and postseason) come in the postseason (minimum 100 home runs).

While speaking with the reporters, the 35-year-old expressed that he will be proud of his record when he looks back at his performances in October.

It’s something I take a lot of pride in. … Once I’m done playing, it’s going to be something that I look back on and be really proud of my career because of how my career has gone in terms of finding myself each and every year in October.

Kike Hernandez told reporters as per Sportsnet LA

The Dodgers are now 1 win away from a 3rd straight National League Championship Series (NLCS) appearance. For Game 4, they will have Tyler Glasnow take the mound. For the Braves, Tyler Mahle will be the starter and try to enforce Game 5 in Los Angeles.

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