Playoff Teoscar continues: Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández makes history with home run vs. Phillies in NLDS

Douglas Santo

Playoff Teoscar continues: Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández makes history with home run vs. Phillies in NLDS image

The Los Angeles Dodgers came from behind to steal Game 1 of the NLDS from the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Outfielder Teoscar Hernández had the big swing that put the Dodgers on top on Saturday night, and that was just the latest of his red-hot start to the postseason.

Hernández now has a hit in each of the Dodgers' first three playoff games, and Saturday night's knock completed Los Angeles' comeback win and silenced the home crowd.

Teoscar Hernández Makes History With Hot Postseason Start

Hernández had a bit of a down season for the Dodgers compared to his last five years in the MLB. The Dodgers' outfielder hit .247 with a .738 OPS, 25 home runs and 89 RBI.

His numbers were still very strong and most wouldn't blink an eye at a 25 home run and 89 RBI season. However, Hernández's BA was the lowest it's been since 2019, and his OPS was the lowest in a season since his rookie year in 2016.

That's all gone out the window through the first three games of the playoffs. On Saturday night, Hernández became the first player in MLB history to have at least three home runs and nine RBI through his team's first three postseason games, according to OptaSTATS.

Through the Dodgers' first three playoffs games, Hernández has five hits, including his three home runs, nine RBI, 15 total bases and three runs scored.

Every hit in the postseason is important, but Hernández's have come in particularly clutch scenarios for the Dodgers.

His first home run came in the third inning of Game 1 of the wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds, and it widened the Dodgers' 1-0 lead to 4-0. Later in that game, he added a solo home run to make it 6-0 in the sixth inning.

In Game 2 against the Reds, Hernández came through with a two-run double in the sixth inning to widen the Dodgers' 5-2 lead to 7-2.

Then on Saturday night, Hernández came to the plate with two outs in the seventh inning and the Dodgers down 3-2, and launched a go-ahead three-run home run to give Los Angeles the lead late and silence Citizens Bank Park.

The Dodgers have their big three stars in Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, but if they can continue to get huge contributions from guys behind them like Hernández, Los Angeles will be a hard team to beat.

Douglas Santo

Douglas Santo is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. As a senior at Arizona State University, he will complete his B.A. in sports journalism with a minor in business in December 2025. Before his time with Sporting News, Douglas covered the NFL and MLB for Athlon Sports and contributed as a digital reporter for Arizona PBS/Cronkite News. He is also the head of Sun Devil Daily, managing all content produced about Arizona State Sports.