CHICAGO — Enrique Hernandez didn’t know he was going to hit three home runs, including a grand slam, in Game 5 of the NLCS to power the Dodgers into the World Series.
Of course he didn’t. But he knew Thursday night was special well before he tied a postseason record with seven RBIs.
MORE: Dodgers-Cubs Game 5 full recap
He was starting in a potential clinching game, when a win would give the Dodgers their first trip to the Fall Classic since 1988. Hernandez had a special guest in the stands, too.
Kiké Hernandez's father, who battled cancer last year, is at Wrigley Field tonight watching his son have the game of his life. #ThisTeam
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) October 20, 2017
Even though he was getting ready to start Game 5, his pregame thoughts were with his family and friends in Puerto Rico. He was born in San Juan in 1991, and the hurricanes that ripped through his island left only devastation. The rebuilding process has been difficult.
He wanted them to know they were on his mind.
Grand slam, Dodgers 7-0 Cubs #PostemporadaESPN pic.twitter.com/yIjuzbrS6Z
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) October 20, 2017
For Hernandez to come through for his team — his first homer gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead, the grand slam put them ahead 7-0, and the third homer pushed the lead to 11-1 — with his island in his thoughts is really special.
Take a moment and scroll through Hernandez’s Twitter feed, and you’ll see how much he thinks about Puerto Rico. His pinned tweet is for a YouCaring hurricane relief fund. The feed is full of pictures of people wearing the Puerto Rico T-shirts being sold to raise money for hurricane relief.
So, yes, for Hernandez to be the one who delivered the biggest blows in the biggest game of the year is chill-inducing stuff.
Puerto Rico weighs heavily on the hearts and minds of all the players from that island, of course, not just Hernandez.
Javier Baez was born there. After he hit two home runs for the Cubs in Game 4 of this NLCS, he was asked about how the agonizingly slow relief efforts have weighed on his mind.
“Really tough, man. Before the playoffs, I was so ready to go home because my whole family was over there,” Baez said. “Finally got to bring my mom here. But still my whole family's over there in the hard situation. It's hard. It's hard to keep that away, but we've got to take care of business. After this season is over, I will go home and help my people.”
And players from Puerto Rico who didn’t make the postseason immediately went back to the island to help out. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who started a GoFundMe relief fund during the season, got there as soon as he could.
From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Molina traveled the area without journalists so he could knock on the doors and spend time with neighbors, many of whom are still without power and some of whom were already in what he has described as an “underprivileged” area.
"Immediately after hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, I was extremely concerned about my family, friends and all the people in Puerto Rico," Molina told MLB.com. "I felt helpless and could not concentrate not knowing if my family and loved ones were safe. I wanted to help my people as fast as I could."
You can bet Hernandez will get there as soon as he can.
