Kiké Hernández had a blast at the World Baseball Classic.
The 31-year-old represented Puerto Rico for a second time in his career, falling two games short of a title with a loss to Mexico in the quarterfinal round. But despite the results, Hernández, who returned to spring training action with the Boston Red Sox on Monday, holds the WBC environment in high regard. And this is coming from a big league veteran that's made three World Series appearances.
In fact, Hernández offered a strongly worded description when reflecting on his WBC experience.
"It was nuts. It was kind of like the wild-card game on steroids, honestly," Hernández said, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
Hernández, like many other major leaguers, takes a great deal of pride in representing his native country when taking the field, whether that'd be playing in the WBC or Major League Baseball. And that same energy that Hernández acknowledged from the deeply passionate fans in attendance and watching across the world, he himself displayed on the field.
While set to guard the infield for the Red Sox in 2023, Hernández flexed his defensive versatility by playing center field for Puerto Rico and made an outstanding diving catch against Mexico in the quarterfinal, which had extra bases written all over it.
Hernández was also reliable for Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina in the batter's box. He hit .300/.391/.400 with two doubles and four RBIs while also drawing three walks in five games played. In pool play against Israel, Hernández plated the game-winning run that capped off the first-ever perfect game in WBC history.
When Puerto Rico's run came to an end, Hernández published a heartfelt thank you message to his native land supporters, suggesting that he'll return for another run at the WBC crown in 2026.
