Kiké Hernández played hero for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic on Monday night, but it wasn’t a traditional walk-off hit. Nothing about Puerto Rico’s showdown with Israel was traditional.
The Boston Red Sox infielder lined a single into left field in the eighth inning to give PR the 10-0 win over Israel. The WBC has a mercy rule that states first-round games will end if one team has a 15-run lead after five innings or a 10-run lead after seven.
Hernández didn’t just win the game for Puerto Rico, either. In the process, he had the unusual distinction of completing a perfect game with a bat in his hands. The Puerto Rican pitching staff didn’t allow a single base-runner over eight innings, meaning the walk-off hit also clinched an eight-inning perfect game.
Hernández finished the game going 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs. He’s batting .333 with three RBIs and two talks for Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico moved to 2-1 in the tournament before its game against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.
