Dodgers' Kiké Hernandez Made Insane History in Win Over Marlins

Kiké Hernández really can do it all.

The veteran utility player made a memorable mound appearance in the ninth inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' lopsided win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.

That's not all Hernández did in the 15-2 victory.

Kiké Hernández of the @Dodgers is the only MLB player in the modern era to score multiple runs, play multiple positions and have a scoreless outing on the mound all in a game he did not start. pic.twitter.com/xkmBGnb1mE
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) April 30, 2025

According to OptaSTATS on Twitter/X, Hernández became the only MLB player in the modern era to score multiple runs, play multiple positions, and have a scoreless outing on the mound all in a game he did not start.

Enrique Hernandez uses his head protection to help his spitting. pic.twitter.com/BHlgvmEg3z
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 30, 2025

It's a history many years in the making.

Hernández debuted in 2014, when position players only rarely took the mound at the tail end of lopsided games. That became less true over time, as managers routinely "threw in the towel" by sending a position player to the mound rather than burn one of his regular relievers when the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.

I dunno. pic.twitter.com/vkZcsTixKo
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) April 30, 2025

Starting in the 2023 season, Major League Baseball restricted position players to pitching only in situations where their team led by 10 or more runs in the ninth inning, trailed by eight or more runs at any time, or the game reached extra innings.

The Dodgers led 12-2 after seven innings Tuesday night, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough to size up their options for finishing the game. The need for a position player was perhaps more pressing by virtue of their series finale Wednesday beginning a mere 14 hours after Tuesday night's game ended.

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So it was Hernández that took Mookie Betts' place in the lineup in the seventh inning of Tuesday's game, then moved from first base to the mound for the ninth inning.

It was hardly foreign territory for Hernández, who made one mound appearance from 2014-23, then took the mound four times last year for the Dodgers. Tuesday's appearance marked his first pitching appearance of 2025.

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It was also his first career pitching appearance at Dodger Stadium, a fact he made light of in an Instagram post after the game.

"After 9 years as a Dodger, I finally made my Dodger Stadium pitching debut," Hernández wrote. "Honored to have done it on Women’s Night; had to wear the ⛑️ to remind everybody to use protection. #SafetyFirst"

Hernández wore a protective helmet over his baseball hat while pitching. His scoreless inning lowered his career ERA to 7.94 across six appearances.

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