Hernandez blasts away
Homers send LA back to WS
CHICAGO — Enrique Hernandez put a Hollywood ending on an LA story three decades in the making.
Fueled by a home run trilogy from their emotional utilityman, Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers are finally going to the World Series.
Hernandez homered three times and drove in a record seven runs, Kershaw breezed through six crisp innings and Los Angeles ended the Chicago Cubs’ title defense with an 11-1 rout in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series last night.
“It feels good to hear World Series,” Kershaw said. “It’s been a long time coming for this team.”
After years of playoff heartache, there was just no stopping these Dodgers. With Kershaw firing away at the top of a deep pitching staff and co-NLCS MVPs Justin Turner and Chris Taylor leading a tough lineup, one of baseball’s most storied franchises captured its first pennant since their last World Series title in 1988.
The Dodgers will host the Yankees or Astros in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night.
Kershaw was just OK during his first two starts in this year’s postseason, but Los Angeles’ offense picked him up each time. Backed by Hernandez’ powerful show in Chicago, Kershaw turned in an efficient threehit performance with five strikeouts and improved to 6-7 in the playoffs — matching Burt Hooton’s club record for postseason wins.
When Kenley Jansen retired Willson Contreras on a liner to shortstop for the final out, the party was on. The Dodgers poured out of the dugout and mobbed their dominant closer near the mound, and a small but vocal group of Los Angreles fans gathered behind the visitors’ dugout and chanted “Let’s go Dodgers! Let’s go Dodgers!”
Hernandez connected on the first two pitches he saw, belting a solo drive in the second for his first career playoff homer and then a grand slam in the third against Hector Rondon. He added a two-run shot in the ninth against Mike Montgomery.
It was a stunning display for a player with 28 career homers in four seasons also burdened by his concern for his native Puerto Rico, which is recovering from a devastating hurricane.
“Obviously, people back home are having a really hard time right now,” Hernandez said. “For me to be able to come here and do something like this is pretty special. My body’s here, but my mind’s kind of back home. It’s hard being away from home with what’s going on.”
Kris Bryant homered for Chicago, but the NL Central champions finished with just four hits in another tough night at the plate. Each of their eight runs in the NLCS came via the long ball, and they batted just .156 for the series with 53 strikeouts.