Kiké Hernandez’s versatility as a utility man truly knows no bounds.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were getting blown out by the San Diego Padres 9-0 in the 6th inning of Tuesday’s game at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. With a comeback unlikely, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to have Hernandez eat some innings.
Hernandez actually did a decent job during his time on the mound, limiting the Padres to just a single earned run with two walks across 2.1 innings pitched. San Diego won 11-1.
People are going to clown Kike Hernandez for pitching with a pitcher’s helmet, but there’s really no reason against it. It’s smart.
— Calico Joe (@CalicoJoeMLB) June 11, 2025
The only embarassing thing about the scenario is the fact the Padres only got 1 ER vs him after 2.1 IP. pic.twitter.com/a2v4BpU9NK
Padres slugger Jackson Merrill sounded impressed with Hernandez as he spoke to reporters after the game.
“That was the nastiest cutter I’ve ever seen,” Merrill said of Hernandez’s pitching.
“He would literally step out of the batter’s eye, and [the ball] would go across the whole other batter’s box and the plate, and land in the zone. It was nasty. Shoutout to Kiké.”
"That was the nastiest cutter I've ever seen."
— Marty Caswell (@MartyCaswell) June 11, 2025
Jackson Merrill on Kiké Hernández@SportingTrib pic.twitter.com/4q6tTpbedl
Reporters had to clarify that Merrill was being sarcastic. The 22-year-old All-Star assured them he was dead serious. He added that he probably would not get a hit off Hernandez if they faced each other again.
Hernandez got Merrill to ground out in three pitches. The Puerto Rican’s three pitches to Jackson all hovered around 50 mph.
Tuesday’s game was the third time Hernandez pitched for the Dodgers this season. He entered the game with no runs allowed across 2.0 innings.
With a 2.08 ERA through three games as a pitcher, Kike may be angling to follow in Shohei Ohtani’s footsteps as a two-way player.
