Years from now, when we look back on the 2021 American League Division Series — regardless of how all of this ends — it will be easy to remember Kiké Hernández as the hero of Game 4. Of course, the player who gets the winning run around to score in a walk-off situation to clinch the series deservedly will go down in Boston Red Sox history.
But hopefully we don’t forget that Hernández was much more than just the man of the hour. After all, Hernández finished the four-game ALDS hitting .450 (9-for-20) with three doubles, two home runs and six RBIs.
The bulk of his production came Friday in Game 2, when he went a whopping 5-for-6 with three RBIs and three runs in Boston’s 14-6 blowout of the Rays. He kept it going in Sunday’s Game 3, going 3-for-5 with a solo home run.
With all of that in mind, Monday’s heroics truly were just the icing on the cake.
“We felt very comfortable with him (at the plate in the bottom of the ninth),” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters following Monday’s victory. “He was putting good at-bats after good at-bats, and he did an amazing job against a tough pitching staff, and we’re very proud of him.”
Cora said earlier this week that he wanted Hernández to be recognized for his talent this season, his first with the Red Sox. And if people hadn’t already caught on, you have to imagine that what he did throughout the ALDS was convincing enough.
