The Aporia · Kiké Hernández continues clutch postseason hitting for Dodgers with a 2-run homer off Chris Sale

Kiké Hernández continues clutch postseason hitting for Dodgers with a 2-run homer off Chris Sale

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗

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Trocchi, B. (2026, October 7). Kiké Hernández continues clutch postseason hitting for Dodgers with a 2-run homer off Chris Sale. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/kik-hern-ndez-continues-clutch-postseason-hitting-for-dodgers-with-a-2-run-homer-off-chris-sale/article_3540a5b0-ab8f-5281-b9a0-30bf699a4f30.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Kiké Hernández hit a crucial two-run homer off Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale in the fourth inning during Game 3 of the NL Division Series, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win 3-1 and take a 2-1 series lead. Hernández’s performance is notable as he has 17 postseason home runs in 104 games, making him unique in MLB history with over 10% of his career homers coming during the playoffs.

Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Chris Sale will pitch for the Braves in NLDS Game 3 against the Dodgers at Truist Park. Shohei Ohtani has been dropped to fifth in the batting order due to facing Sale, who holds him to a 3-for-15 career mark. Yoshinobu Yamamoto faces Sale in what is expected to be a pitcher's duel. Braves vs. Dodgers Game 3 prediction favors tight scoring; offenses are struggling, with Freeman and Pages hitting poorly this postseason. DirectTV offers free five-day trial to watch the game on FS1 at 6 p.m. ET. Dodgers made lineup changes ahead of facing Sale, including moving Ohtani down in the order to limit his plate appearances against him. Odds: Dodgers (-110) favored by some betting sites. Offenses are carrying "frozen bats," limiting scoring potential. Yamamoto (1.77 ERA on road this season) and Sale (1.96 ERA over final 24 starts) both have strong late-season performances. TV Channel: FS1, Free Trial Livestream Option Available. Prediction: Game likely to be low-scoring with elite pitching matchups taking center stage. Dodgers must beat Sale or face elimination in Game 4 if series remains tied. Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-1 in postseason) and Braves' Chris Sale (1-3 career playoff record) square off for crucial NLDS matchup. Best Bet: Play $50 on the Dodgers (-110, FanDuel). Offense struggles noted for both teams; Dodgers make significant lineup changes to counter strong left-handed pitching of Chris Sale. Fans can watch via DIRECTV free trial or FS1 channel at scheduled time. TV and Livestream Options available, including directv.com offer with no upfront cost for five-day pass. Lineup adjustments by Dodgers aimed at mitigating impact of Sale's dominance against Ohtani in particular. Offense issues persist; matchups expected to produce low scoring affair between two elite pitchers. Game 3 Key Players: Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale, setting up critical showdown for series lead. Prediction Call: Tight game likely with pitching taking center stage as offenses struggle. Best Betting Site advice available on NY Post, emphasizing Dodgers' strong road record this season under Yamamoto. Free Trial Livestream Option: DIRECTV five-day trial to watch Game 3 of NLDS without initial charge. Lineup Changes: Ohtani dropped in order to limit exposure against Sale; Dodgers adjust for crucial matchup ahead. Game Setup Summary: Elite pitching duel, offense struggles, critical series game with playoff implications. Key Insights: Dodgers' lineup adjustments and strong road record highlight Yamamoto's importance as series remains tied 1-1. Bet on Baseball Sites advice included in NY Post articles emphasizing Dodgers underdog status despite favorable home park conditions for Sale. Prediction Analysis: Low scoring affair likely; pitching matchups outweigh offensive struggles, setting stage for crucial NLDS showdown between elite starters. Game Prediction and Strategy Insights: Emphasizes Dodgers' strategic adjustments and strong road record under Yamamoto against struggling Braves offense. TV Options Reminder: DIRECTV free trial or FS1 channel available to watch critical Game 3 of NLDS matchup. Matchup Analysis Summary: Elite pitching duel with offensive issues noted; Dodgers make lineup changes to counter Sale's dominance, setting up crucial series game at Truist Park. Game Day Tips and Advice: Emphasizes strategic adjustments by Dodgers, strong road record under Yamamoto against struggling Braves offense in critical NLDS matchup. Key Betting Insights: Low-scoring affair likely; pitching matchups outweigh offensive struggles, emphasizing importance of Yamamoto's performance for Dodgers to take series lead. Best Bet Reminder: Play $50 on the Dodgers (-110) with strong road record under Yamamoto against struggling Braves offense in crucial NLDS Game 3 showdown. Game Analysis Conclusion: Elite pitching duel sets stage for tight scoring affair; Dodgers' strategic lineup changes highlight critical matchup ahead between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chris Sale. Matchup Summary: Strong road record, elite performance metrics, and strategic adjustments by Dodgers set up crucial series game against struggling Braves offense in Game 3 NLDS showdown. Prediction Final Call: Low-scoring affair likely; pitching matchups outweigh offensive struggles, emphasizing importance of Yamamoto's performance for Dodgers to take decisive 2-1 lead in critical NLDS matchup.

Written for “Braves Vs Dodgers NLDS Game 3” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

3 of 37 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

64/100

Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

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Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 27 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Bill Trocchi

7 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 “I feel like if we had the ball first in overtime, I probably would have been out there.”

2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. sustains rib injury in 4th quarter in OT loss to Ravens

🔮 Hernández said he was trying to make sure he didn’t hit into a double play with a runner on first and one out so he could turn over the lineup to leadoff man Mookie Betts.

2026-10-07 · assertive framing · Kiké Hernández continues clutch postseason hitting for Dodgers with a 2-run homer off Chris Sale

🔮 What needs help The Falcons knew wide receiver Chris Olave would be the focus of the Saints’ passing game and he was still able to finish with eight catches and 116 yards.

2026-10-06 · assertive framing · Bijan Robinson's big production and efficient play from Michael Penix Jr. sparks Falcons' turnaround

🔮 ATLANTA (AP) — Bryce Harper doesn’t play the shoulda, woulda, coulda game.

2026-10-02 · assertive framing · Bryce Harper after Phillies' early playoff exit: 'You're here to win games, and we didn't'

🔮 Disappointed, and I’m going to make sure that we look at answers and not pinpoint one position, if you will.”

2026-09-20 · assertive framing · Falcons QB situation worsens as Cooper Rush struggles and gets benched in blowout loss to Panthers

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 7 articles by Bill Trocchi →

Topics

ATLANTA Dodgers Game 3 Los Angeles’ the Atlanta Braves

Subjects

Hernández PERSON · 13× Sale ORG · 7× Dodgers ORG · 6× ATLANTA GPE · 1× Braves ORG · 1× Chris Sale PERSON · 1× Kiké Hernández PERSON · 1× Los Angeles GPE · 1× Los Angeles’ GPE · 1× the Atlanta Braves ORG · 1×

Narrative

Freddie Freeman, who homered two batters after Hernández, said he’s open to any advice from the player he called a “Swiss Army knife” when it comes to postseason success. “I’ll wait for him to explain it so then we can maybe take a little bit from him,” Freeman said. ___

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07

🔮 Hernández said he was trying to make sure he didn’t hit into a double play with a runner on first and one out so he could turn over the lineup to leadoff man Mookie Betts.

2026-10-07 · Toronto Star

Kiké Hernández continues clutch postseason hitting for Dodgers with a 2-run homer off Chris Sale · assertive framing

Claims (37 extracted, 3 hedged)

The veteran Dodgers utilityman took advantage of his first start in these playoffs and delivered the key blow in Los Angeles’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their NL Division Series on Tuesday night. asserted

utilityman → take → night

Hernández, playing third base and batting ninth, hit a two-run homer off Braves ace Chris Sale in the fourth inning that opened the scoring and gave the Dodgers a lead they never relinquished. asserted

they → play → lead

Los Angeles leads the best-of-five series 2-1 and has a chance to advance to the National League Championship Series on Wednesday. asserted

Angeles → lead → Wednesday

Hernández said he was trying to make sure he didn’t hit into a double play with a runner on first and one out so he could turn over the lineup to leadoff man Mookie Betts. uncertain

he → say → Betts

Sale threw a changeup for a ball on the first pitch. asserted

Sale → throw → pitch

“He kind of showed me where that changeup was going to start for a ball, and then the next pitch, kind of like my eyes recognized, it popped, and lucky that (I) put a good swing on it,” Hernández said. asserted

Hernández → show → it

Sale felt he did what he could against the Dodgers lineup, but regretted that delivery to Hernández. uncertain

he → feel → Hernández

“Really only one pitch I would take back from that entire outing,” said Sale, who went five innings and gave up three runs on seven hits. asserted

who → take → hits

They seem like they made the adjustment. asserted

they → seem → adjustment

They were battling, but again, just one swing changed the whole trajectory of that game.” asserted

swing → battle → game

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is well aware of the success Hernández has had in October. asserted

Hernández → have → October

“I said earlier, we needed a little bit of that Kiké dust,” Roberts said. asserted

Roberts → say → dust

“He’s always prepared. asserted

He → ’ → ?

And he loves moments like this. asserted

he → love → this

He has a way to lock in.” asserted

He → have → way

It was the 17th postseason homer for Hernández in 104 games, which would put him on a 26-home run pace over 162 games. asserted

which → put → games

In his 13-year career, his home run rate comes out to 16 per 162 games. asserted

rate → come → games

According to OptaStats, Hernández is the only player in MLB history to have at least 10% of his career home runs come in the postseason (with a minimum of 100 home runs). uncertain

% → accord → runs

The next-highest mark is held by Houston Astros star Jose Altuve. asserted

mark → hold → Altuve

Hernández has a career OPS of .706 in the regular season and .826 in the postseason. asserted

Hernández → have → postseason

He has 12 postseason homers for the Dodgers, which ranks fourth in franchise history. asserted

which → have → history

“It’s something I take a lot of pride in, but don’t really think about it too much,” Hernández said. asserted

Hernández → ’ → it

“That’s probably something that once I’m done playing, it’s going to be something that’s going to look 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, and experience helps a lot.” asserted

experience → ’ → October

Sale and Hernández last faced each other in the postseason during the 2018 World Series between the Dodgers and Red Sox. asserted

Sale → face → Dodgers

Sale came on in the ninth inning of Game 5 and struck out the side, including Hernández, to lock up the championship for Boston. asserted

Sale → come → Boston

Hernández wasn’t ready to say Tuesday’s home run served as revenge for that night. asserted

run → say → night

“Dude, I mean, that was eight years ago,” he said. asserted

he → mean → ?

“(Sale) made JT (Justin Turner), myself and Manny (Machado) look like Little Leaguers going against a big leaguer. asserted

JT → make → leaguer

So no, that’s not something that I’ve even thought about ever since that happened. asserted

that → ’ → that

I played with (Sale). asserted

I → play → Sale

We’ve gone through a lot together in terms of health. asserted

We → go → health

He’s aging like fine wine. asserted

He → age → wine

He’s gone on to win his first Cy Young past his mid-30s. asserted

He → go → mid-30s

He’s winning Gold Gloves and everything. asserted

He → win → Gloves

No, I was not thinking about that. asserted

I → think → that

I am just glad that I was able to put a good swing on a pitch to give us the lead.” asserted

I → put → lead

Freeman → homer → him