Dodgers' Kiké Hernández Makes Incredible MLB History Thanks to Postseason Success

It's October, so of course Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández is making an impact.

On Tuesday, the Dodgers took back home-field advantage and secured a 2-1 series lead over the Atlanta Braves with their 3-1 win. They are one win away from their third consecutive National League Championship Series appearance and fifth in the last seven seasons.

Hernández's play once again helped the Dodgers to a victory in October, and in the process, he made MLB history.

According to OptaSTATS, Hernández is the only player in MLB history to have at least 10% of his career home runs (regular season and postseason) come in the postseason (minimum 100 total homers).

Kiké Hernández is the only player in MLB history to have at least 10.0% of his career homers (reg & post) come in the postseason (min. 100 total homers). pic.twitter.com/F3LisMRoJ6
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 7, 2026

The 35-year-old is currently at 11.3% (17-out-of-151). OptaSTATS said that the next closest is Houston Astros' Jose Altuve at 9.4%.

The veteran Dodger transforms into a stud once the calendar flips to October. He goes from a steady utility player in the regular season into a postseason monster, boosting his career OPS from .706 up to .831.

“It’s something I take a lot of pride in, but don’t think about it too much,” Hernández said after the game. “Once I’m done playing, I’m going to be someone that looks back 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.”

Kiké Hernández Takes His Game to Another Level in October

In the past, the longtime Dodger has noted that the intensity and stakes of the postseason sharply elevate his focus and adrenaline compared to the grind of a 162-game regular season.

In 105 postseason games, the Puerto Rican native has hit .272 with a .831 OPS, 17 home runs, 44 RBIs and 81 hits in 298 at-bats.

The Dodgers have scored 10 runs through three games in the NLDS, all of which have come via the long ball. That is the longest streak to start a postseason in MLB history.

Hernández's home run in the fourth inning broke a scoreless tie. It was a two-run shot to left field with Andy Pages on base.

"He's a big-time player," manager Dave Roberts said after the game. "I said earlier, we needed a little bit of that Kiké dust. And he's always prepared. And he loves moments like this. He has a way to lock in. ... It's just one of those things that having him in a lineup in the postseason just adds that extra sort of urgency, that kind of grit that you need."

It's always Kiké Hernández.

He hits a two-run home run off Chris Sale and the Dodgers lead the Braves, 2-0, in NLDS Game 3. pic.twitter.com/SCzfPakQne
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) October 6, 2026

Two batters later, Freddie Freeman hit a solo shot to right-center against his former team to extend the lead to 3-0.

That was more then enough for ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was on it on Tuesday night.

The 28-year-old pitched seven great innings, allowing just one run on four hits with 10 strikeouts across 98 pitches.

Yamamoto is 33-0 (including the postseason) when he gets at least three runs of support.

The Dodgers will look to close out the series on Wednesday, with first pitch is at 3 p.m. PT.

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