Kiké gets 'payback' vs. Cora as member of Team PR

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Fittingly, Kiké Hernández’s first action for Puerto Rico in this year’s World Baseball Classic was under the lights at JetBlue Park on Wednesday night and against manager Alex Cora’s Red Sox.

Of course, they are also Hernández’s Red Sox.

Things were much different six years ago for Cora and Hernández in the last WBC.

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Cora (then the bench coach for the Astros) was the GM for Puerto Rico, and Hernández (a Los Angeles Dodger) was a platoon player on an upstart squad that advanced all the way to the championship game, losing to Team USA.

This time, Hernández is right in the middle of the action for a talented Puerto Rico squad. The right-handed hitter batted second and started in center field against the Red Sox, with Boston taking the 9-3 win.

“I’ve been waiting for a while for this,” said Hernández.

“He's been excited. In the last one he didn't play much. He makes sure he lets me know that,” said Cora.

Though Cora has given Hernández regular at-bats since they reunited in Boston in 2021, the good-natured ribbing hasn’t subsided six years later.

“Last time, AC was the GM and he didn't want me to play every day. So this time we took him off the team and [they made me] an everyday player,” Hernández said.

Yes, Hernández plays with a chip on his shoulder, and that is part of what makes him tick.

The truth is, he is thrilled to be back in this international showcase event, which officially starts for Puerto Rico with a noon ET contest against Nicaragua in Miami on Saturday.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” Hernández said. “Being able to share a field with your peers from your home country, the best of the best, it means a lot to us. We only get to do this every once in a while so every opportunity we get, we try to make the best of it. We have a pretty cool group here and a pretty talented group and hopefully we can make it far in the tournament.

“I mean, it's special, just the fact we're here again and we're able to do this tournament once again, it means the world to us. The fact that I'm going to have a little bigger role this time, it’s pretty cool as well. The last time, I didn’t play as much as I would have liked to, but I still had a blast. It was still really special. So the fact that I didn't play didn't take anything away from it.”

• The history of baseball in Puerto Rico

Off to a slow start in Spring Training, Hernández might benefit from the adrenaline of playing in the Classic. As Hernández proved during his historic six-game streak on offense in the 2021 postseason, he thrives while playing in the limelight.

“I’ve got one hit so far in Spring Training so I'm getting there,” quipped Hernández. “As far as physically, I feel pretty good, which is the most important thing. And timing, it comes with the more games that we play and this year the lights turn on a little sooner than in [a regular] Spring Training. So hopefully I can lock it down once the real games start and do what I do.”

Hernández grounded out in his first-bat Wednesday and drew a walk against Boston’s No. 8 prospect Brandon Walter in the third.

While Hernández is thrilled that he’s getting the chance to play his favorite position of shortstop for the Red Sox this season, he is happy to return to center field for a Puerto Rico squad that has a star-studded double-play combination in Francisco Lindor (shortstop) and Javier Báez (second base).

“Kiké, obviously, is a great player,” said Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina. “He’s giving me the opportunity to play him in center field and in the infield [if necessary]. He’s going to hit second for us. He gives me a lot of versatility to work with.”

Wednesday could wind up being the last time Cora sees Hernández play for a couple of weeks. If so, the manager won’t mind because it means the homeland they share is thriving in the Classic.

“You see Kiké, how proud he is of our roots,” said Cora. “He understands the history of our [island] and what it means to us and I'm glad that he's going to be able to play every day. Even though we joke with him that we’ll see him in four days, hopefully they do their thing. And he’ll get here when he gets here.”