Kiké reaching historic heights: 'It's October'

HOUSTON -- Kiké Hernández stole the show with a monster performance for the Red Sox in their American League Division Series victory over Tampa Bay. So it should come as no surprise that in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series against the Astros, it was Hernández who kicked things off with a bang.

The legend of Postseason Kiké grew even larger on Friday night. His latest feat: A four-hit effort in which he launched a pair of home runs and finished a triple shy of the cycle.

Hernández’s second homer of the day, off Astros closer Ryan Pressly to lead off the ninth, inched the Red Sox to within one run of a tie game. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough in a 5-4 loss. But if the hottest hitter in baseball keeps this up, Boston should feel optimistic that a bounceback is in store for Game 2 and beyond.

“We’re down two runs in the ninth inning and, I mean, this isn’t an easy place to play,” said Red Sox starter Chris Sale. “For [Hernández] to keep us in that game and give us a little bit more life -- we lost the game tonight, there’s no doubt about it -- but he gave us a little spark at the end to give us something to look forward to tomorrow. That’s all you can ask from a guy like that.”

It didn’t take long for Hernández to make his presence felt. With Boston trailing and Sale on the ropes in the second inning, Hernández came to the rescue by robbing Michael Brantley with a brilliant diving catch in shallow center field. The highlight-reel effort stranded the bases loaded for Houston while keeping the deficit at 1-0.

That was only an appetizer.

Just a few minutes later, Hernández led off the top of the third by drilling a 2-1 curveball from Framber Valdez well beyond Minute Maid Park’s center-field wall. Hernández’s booming homer, which traveled a Statcast-projected 448 feet -- marking his longest home run since April 15, 2016 -- sparked what ended up as a three-run frame, capped by Hunter Renfroe’s RBI double.

Hernández’s run as a postseason juggernaut is reaching historic levels. With a double in the fourth as well, his 13 hits over his last four games are the most in a four-game span for any player in MLB postseason history.

“I'm having a lot of fun,” Hernández said. “It's a blast. It's October, and these games tend to be a lot of fun. A lot of adrenaline. A lot of electricity in the crowd. The fact that I'm playing well adds on to it a little bit.”

The jaw-dropping stats are endless. There’s Hernández’s eight extra-base hits in his last four games, tied with Hideki Matsui and Reggie Jackson for the most over a four-game span in postseason history. His pair of four-hit games in the last week is tied for second-most in a single postseason, trailing Albert Pujols (2011) by one game. This was also Hernández’s third career postseason game with 10 or more total bases, surpassing Pujols, Babe Ruth, Steve Garvey and George Brett.

There will come a time when Hernández can look back and appreciate the insane run he has put together. That time was not Friday night, however, as he was more focused on his team now being down 0-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“We lost,” Hernández said. “It would have been a lot cooler if we won the game. Right now I don't have a lot of time to sit down and think about the game or what I did or whatever. I’ve got to think about whoever is pitching for them tomorrow. And it's a quick turnaround, so trying to not think too much about it.”

It’s clear Hernández has no fear in these big moments. He’s been here plenty, having joined the Red Sox last offseason with six seasons’ worth of playoff experience from 2015-20 during his time with the Dodgers.

“There's nothing that compares to playing in the playoffs until you play in the playoffs,” said Hernández. “The fact that I was able to be in the postseason six years when I was with the Dodgers, it was huge. We played some very important games, and with time you kind of get a little bit numb towards the moment or whatever.

“I would say that being able to stay under control during these games has a lot to do with the fact that I played a lot of playoff games before.”