Kiké Hernández has Strong Opinion on World Baseball Classic Compared to World Series

Kiké Hernández joined Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic despite not being able to play and his wife recently giving birth to their second child.

Hernández previously competed with Puerto Rico in the WBC in 2017 and 2023. He's unable to participate this year due to his ongoing recovery from left elbow surgery. Not being able to represent his homeland was an emotional reality for the 34-year-old.

Hernández is among the players who have raved about the WBC in the past, and reiterated how high of a regard he holds the tournament when compared to being a three-time World Series champion.

"World Series is the biggest thing in this sport because that's what you dream of. To play in the World Series with bases loaded, 3-2 count. I've played in five and I've played two Classics, and Classics has nothing to envy," Hernández said.

"Yadi can attest to that. The Classic kind of feels above the World Series. Maybe it's because of what we have on the chest, and it's not the name of the tournament.

"But I did have a chance of playing here in the Caribbean Series, and to play at Hiram Bithorn, I believe that every Puerto Rican player, not only in the big leagues, should play here with a full stadium. This is where we always want to play.

"We waited for 13 years, and we wanted to come back, and the fans were excited and want us to come here. So it won't be any pressure. It's going to be like the energy, the adrenaline that the players are going to have is going to elevate their game."

Kiké Hernández confident in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is in Pool A, along with Cuba, Canada, Colombia and Panama. They're favored to reach the quarterfinals stage despite not having Hernández, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Javier Báez, José Berríos, Emilio Pagan, Alexis Diaz, and Victor Caratini, among others.

"I see this is a young team who is very hungry and has a lot of desire to win. People say the team is not complete, but if there's something that makes us Puerto Ricans, it's that we take advantage to the maximum," Hernández said of the roster.

"I know that all of these guys are there, they don't lack for anything. Maybe on paper, people may disregard us, but I think we may have a lot of surprises. It's one of the deepest pitching staffs we've had before. And the offense, it's a young team, very athletic.

"We may not have five home runs in the game, but we can put the ball in play and do small things, which is what makes you win in tournaments like this.

Although Hernández isn't able to play, the Dodgers do have representation on Team Puerto Rico in the form of Edwin Díaz. He's back in the WBC after suffering a season-ending right knee injury in 2023.